The Distort Arc: Cape High Books 1-4 (Cape High Series Omnibus) (36 page)

She laughs, much to my shock.  "Oh, kitty, I will tell you right now," she says.  "Let the boy sleep."

"He should be training!" I argue.  "Even--no, especially if he's going to go into environmental work like Taurus says he will!  The entire planet could rely on that shameless boy, and I feel sorry for it!"

She's laughing--honest, beautiful laughter that makes me give her a frustrated look.  It only seems to make her laugh harder.  "Oh my poor girl," she says, patting my cheek.  "So young yet so eco-minded.  But kitty, does Nico agree with the nap?"

"As far as I can tell, he came up with it," I complain.  "Nico is strange, Mama.  He's a genius, I think, but he doesn't make sense half the time!  It's because he is powerful, I think, but Papa is powerful and isn't nearly as--as strange as Nico is!"

"Kitty," Mama says, "why don't you spend more time with them this week?  Find out more about what's happening before you jump to conclusions?  Ask questions!  Consider it--consider it your first spy mission as a prospective super villain!  Learn their habits and weaknesses and choose which would make the best nemesis for you.  Just as Max and Trent are battling now, if you become a super villain wouldn't it be wonderful to have someone you can go up against on a regular basis?  Your father still tells stories of his battles against Banshee, you know."

"Banshee is Papa's nemesis?" I ask.

"Oh she was, but she headed off across the sea for semi-retirement, and now she's working as your teacher, right?  Ask her sometime about the old days!"

"I will!" I say, feeling excited for a moment to be going to school tomorrow--and then promptly remembering what will happen after.  "Oh Mama, I will miss you so much," I say, throwing my arms around her waist.  "I'll call you every day after school, okay?  You had better keep your phone on all the time!"

"I think you're stealing my lines, kitty," Mama says with a laugh, pulling back and smiling at me.  "You are such a beauty," she says.  "It's a wonder they haven't tried to get you to model."

"Don't go on about that again," I say, making a face.  "I'm a super villain!"

"A beautiful super villain!" she teases as the timer goes off.  "One who has cookies to get out and to help start dinner."

"Yes, Mama."

***

For the first time ever, Sunny's awake as they make their way down the apartment stairs the next morning.  "So she's going to stay with us?" he asks for what seems the hundredth time.  "In Zoe's room, right?  Man, I can't wait!" he says, taking the steps quickly.

"You know she doesn't like you much, don't you?" Nico asks as he follows them down with a mug of coffee in his hand.

"She's just shy," Sunny says.

"No, she doesn't like you," Zoe replies.  "You keep sneaking into her training and it's obvious she's really self conscious about her panther form!  You need to leave her alone for that!"

"She snaps at Emily too much," Trent says as he joins them on the way down.  "It irritates me."

"But Emily bugs her as much as Sunny does," Zoe points out.

"It's true, I do," Emily says as she bypasses Trent to walk next to Zoe.  "She's just so cute in her kitty form!  But she's never bitten or even scratched me--she bit Sunny, though!  He was asking for it."

"How do you know I was asking for it?" Sunny asks.  "You weren't there!"

"You were asking for it," Zoe says.  "I just wish she would get over the whole hero/villain problem she has."

"Well, she was raised in a traditional super villain setting," Nico says.  "Panther and his predecessors have been super villains for what, fourteen generations?  It's her grandfather that moved here from Africa, man was that man strict--I met him a few times when I was in college with Pan.  I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't have an impact on Cub's training as she was growing up."

"What about the rest of her family?" Sunny asks curiously.  "She's got both parents, right?  Is her mom a norm?"

"Her mother's an animal speaker," Nico says.  "But since she'll be staying with us for a while, I figure you guys can ask her all these things yourselves."  They head out of the apartment building one by one, stepping on the lighted footprints without even thinking about it.  The school is hardly a walk at all from the apartment building, but the entire way there has several heroes floating overhead, watching out for problems. 

In front of the yellow tape that surrounds Death Canyon, there is a long black car, making the group pull to a stop.  The back door opens and Adanna gets out, followed by the most beautiful black woman that Sunny's ever seen.  She has long black hair that falls down her back in curls and a face straight from a magazine.  Her outfit is a gauzy flowing dress that seems to float around her legs.  With her heels on, she's as tall as Nico is, almost. 

She has to be Adanna's mother, Sunny decides as she reaches down and takes Adanna's hat off, tossing it back into the car.  She looks just like her in the face.

"Amara!" Nico says, stepping around the group and heading for the woman.  "This is a surprise," he goes on, moving his coffee
cup to his left hand and shaking her hand.

"I wanted to thank you for taking my little kitty in for the week, Nico," the beautiful woman says with a smile.  "Chinaza is busy readying the plane for us, or he would be here himself, but I think I'm lucky, I finally get to meet all my daughter's classmates."  She turns, looking at the kids with a bright smile. "I would like to thank all of you for your assistance," she says, heading for them.

Her eyes, a golden brown color, travel from one student to another, lingering on Sunny.  Suddenly Sunny is certain that he's going to be yelled at for teasing Adanna so much, but she moves on--and steps forward, pulling Emily into a hug, much to the redhead's shock.  "Adanna was telling the truth," she says, pulling away.  "You are adorable!"

"Mama!" Adanna yelps from next to the car.

Emily is bright red.  "Um... thank you?" she says, glancing back at Adanna curiously.  But before she can say anything, Amara is moving on to Trent.

"And you are Kid Liberty!" Amara says, shaking his hand.  "I look forward to seeing your heroics."

"Um, thanks?  You're Panther's wife, right?"

"I am!"

"He's one of the ones my Dad insists on me studying closely," Trent says.  "I've been watching his work since I was little."

"Oh?  Have you learned much?" she asks.

"A ton," Trent says.

"Chinaza will be pleased to hear that," Amara says.  She moves on to Max as he drops down from the sky into a full-out bow.

"Lady Panther," he says.  "It's a pleasure to meet you.  Your husband is one of my role models, you know."  He peeks up, grinning wickedly as Amara starts to laugh.

"I can tell," she says.  "Thank you for assisting my daughter, Max."

"It's my pleasure," Max says, standing.  He's shorter than she is by a good bit, but he doesn't seem to mind.

"Now," Amara says, turning to Zoe.  "You!" she says, dragging the girl into a hug.  "Thank you so much for becoming my kitty's friend," she says quietly.  "I am sure spending the week with you will be a wonderful experience.  You will take care of her, will you not?"

"I'm ah, not sure it'll include taking care of her," Zoe admits, "but I think we'll have fun!"

Sunny holds up his arms, clearly expecting a hug, which makes Amara laugh again.  "You'll keep your brother from teasing my daughter too much, at least?" she adds with a smile.

"Absolutely," Zoe swears.

"I get a hug, too, right?" Sunny asks in a pathetic tone.

"I suppose," Amara says, letting go of Zoe and hugging the teenage boy.  She whispers silently, right next to his ear, "I think her kitten form is adorable, too, you know."  He's bright red as she pulls away, looking as if he's been caught red-handed.  "You will behave yourself around my daughter, young man," she says more loudly, tapping him on the nose.  "Right?"

"Yes ma'am," Sunny says.

"Good.  Now I need to say--" she turns, looking at Adanna who has suddenly been attacked from behind by her little brother.

"Danna no go," Cubby says, latched onto the girl tightly.

"Cubby," Amara says, sighing.

***

Tap.

Tap tap.

The picture on the screen gets larger, zooming in on the woman standing next to Death Canyon.  For a moment a large, ringed hand hesitates, holding a handful of popcorn to an open mouth.  The popcorn falls from his fingers as he focuses on his satellite view.  "It's her!" he says.  "It's her, it's her--wait--wait--there--"  He jerks the controller moving it to the young girl heading for the car.  The picture goes to the girl's face, zooming in closely on her light gold eyes.

For a moment he watches her, his eyes gleaming with excitement.  Of course he's interested in the school for supers, he's known about the plans for YEARS, but he didn't know that THE Amara Panterus, world famous supermodel had a daughter!  Who--oh, how brilliant!  Who was a super!  Not just supermodel beautiful, no, an actual super!

"I must have her," he says.  His hand fumbles for his smartphone, almost knocking it onto the ground as he picks it up.  He doesn't dare take his eyes from the screen as he taps on the phone, tapping the first number on the list.  "Procurer?  Yes, yes, of course you know who I am--yes--I've got a job for you.  Money is no object."

***

I will admit to you--not anyone else, of course, but my little brother evokes several feelings from me.  He's taken my name, so I find myself resenting him half the time, but the other half--I stare into his blue eyes (I had blue eyes myself until I was five, it's part of the panther ability) and let out a sigh as I crouch down and hug him.

"Cubby," I say, tapping him on the nose.  "It will only be for a little while, okay?"

"No go," he repeats urgently.

I reach up, patting his fluffy afro.  My brother, as much as he can irritate me, is probably the most beautiful little boy in the world.  He has huge dark blue eyes and cocoa colored skin, and a perfectly adorable little nose--okay, maybe I'm biased.  But he is way too cute for his own good, that much is true. 

"Cubby, I have to go," I say gently.  "But it won't be long and you'll get to meet a new kitty, okay?  It will tell you all sorts of stories!  Then when you get home you can tell them to me," I promise.  It's not working--he's starting to cry now.

"Hey, little guy," Sunny says, making me glance up as he comes over.  "You want to see a trick?"  He stops as Cubby looks at him.  "Wow, those eyes," he says, looking stunned.

"Trick?" Cubby asks.

"Yeah!' Sunny says, crouching down next to me.  "Watch this."  He plunges a finger into the solid, dry dirt, then pulls it out again.  A flower starts growing, literally unfurling into a full bloom right in front of our eyes.  It's the same blue color as Cubby's eyes.  Sunny reaches down, plucking the flower and handing it to Cubby.  "Here you go."

Cubby lets out a laugh, taking the flower and snorting it rather than smelling.  The tears are completely forgotten just as easily as that.  I hate to say it, but I owe Sunny one now.  I give him a sharp look and earn a silly grin.  "It's got to be worth something, right?" Sunny asks.

"Thank you," I say stiffly as Cubby runs to show Mama the flower.  Sunny yawns and stands, offering me a hand.

"It's not a problem," he says.  "Your brother's cute."

"So it would be a problem if he wasn't cute?" I ask, ignoring the hand as I stand up.  He's shorter than me.  I've known that since I started going to this school, but it's pretty obvious this close.  Big green eyes and longish black hair with a streak of white hanging over one eye, he's going to grow up to look like Nico, but for now he can be classified as cute, I guess.  Especially when he's trying to backpedal like he is now.

"No, it wouldn't be a problem--I mean, I don't think any kid that age isn't cute, that I know of, right?  But even if he was ugly it's the same thing--" he stammers out.

"And you think I could have an ugly little brother, now?" I ask.  Okay, it's wrong to be enjoying this, but really!  He always catches me at my worse moments, I'm going to take advantage of his!

"Absolutely not," he says, raising his hands in front of him in a warding motion.  "I mean, that's impossible, right?  Especially when he's little like he is--maybe when he's older he could--"

"Oh, so now you think he'll grow up to be ugly!" I say.

"Adanna," Mama says with amusement.  "While I understand the urge to pick on him, he will be one of the people taking you in for the week, you know."

"And it's time for school to start," Nico adds.  "So we should get going.  Tell your mom and little brother goodbye, Cub."  I jerk, looking at Mama as he calls me that, but all she does is smile slightly and walk over.

"Take care, kitty cat," she says, hugging me and kissing me on the cheek.  "I will see you again soon, with a new family member."

I wrap my arms around her waist and rest my head against her chest.  "Have a safe trip," I say.