Life Light (7 page)

“Then where is she?” Alyssa demands in a hiss.

“The Arctic, visiting family. She can’t fly, so it’s not like she can come down and do it herself, you know?”

There’s a long moment of silence before Alyssa says, “Oh.”

“From what I saw, you were using your little sister’s abilities for your own gain,” Trent says, moving in front of the brother. “Using her to cover up the fact you’re the one that was drinking. Don’t think we didn’t notice.”

“Is that true, Rylon?” Alyssa’s dad demands in a dark tone.

“They’re lying! It’s Alyssa--she’s a--“

“You’re saying your fifteen year old little sister is a drunk,” Trent says, “and that I’m a liar.” He doesn’t even sound accusing when he says that last part, just disappointed.

“She’s a freak,” Alyssa’s brother says, finally, pointing at Alyssa. “She comes home with bruises and cuts and black eyes, but nobody even TOUCHES her at school!”

“Sure they do,” Jack says, coming down with the girl still held captive. Trent notices that he’s very careful not to touch skin.  “If they get hit, or they get knocked around, they go to her, don’t they--just like you did when you wanted to cover up the drinking. I know exactly how this works.”

“Aren’t you a super villain?” Rylon demands as he turns to his parents. “You definitely can’t believe HIM!” he tells his dad, waving a hand back at Jack. A metal ball flicks past his head, slamming into the ground in front of him.

“Kid might not be offended at being called a liar, but I ain’t so nice,” Jack says coldly. “I like healers. That’s why I’m taking your girl.”

“You are NOT taking her,” Trent says. “We would like to enroll your daughter in Cape High, sir.”

“My daughter is NOT a super,” the man says. “She might have told you something along those lines out of delusion--“

“Marcus,” a woman says from behind him, “let them take her.”

“But Mercy--“

“I said, let them take her,” the woman says, stepping out onto the front step. She’s an ample, beautiful black woman with her hair up in a shower cap. Her robe is bright pink, her slippers match, and she's barely over five feet tall. “My grandmother had the gift. I told you that a hundred times, but you never made the connection! Our Alyssa has the gift!”

“You’re talking that crazy talk again, honey--your grandma was some sort of voodoo witch doctor--“

“She was NOT a voodoo witch doctor! Sure she seemed a little off, but the gift does that to you! It hurts, honey. It’s not an easy gift to have.”

Marcus runs a hand over his face, groaning. “Can’t we have a doctor fix her?”

“Sir, the school can help her,” Trent says, “but we’ll need to put her in the dorm--you’re too far from our school for her to stay here.”

Jack almost argues, but he closes his mouth quickly, simply standing there with his arms around the girl. She’s starting to squirm and look around curiously. “What’s keeping this thing up?” she demands abruptly.

“I am.”

“And what’s keeping you up? We’re going to go plunging to the ground any moment--“ she lets out a yelp as they do exactly that, clinging to him tightly until he starts to laugh. Then she smacks his arm. “That wasn’t funny!”

“Sure it was!”

“I’m arguing with a super villain,” she says, as if only just now realizing it.

“Hey, you want to see Life Light?” he asks silently, pulling out his smartphone. “This is her,” he says, showing her his wallpaper. The girl in the picture is average looking, although the dog hanging his head over her shoulder isn’t. “Cute, ain’t she?” he brags. “She’s wanted to meet another one like her for forever.”

“At least tell Cold Steel to let our daughter go,” Marcus says, shooting worried glances at the two on the surfboard.

“I’ll show you more later,” Jack said, letting go. Alyssa jumps down as quickly as possible.

“What sort of school is this Cape High?” Mercy asks. “If I’m going to send my baby off to live with strangers, I expect to know all about it!”

“We’ll tell you,” Jack says, dropping off of his board and walking right past Alyssa’s brother. He stops, right in front of the other teen, looking him straight in the eye. “You, I’ll deal with later.”

Then, as Alyssa’s brother looks like he’s going to throw up, he walks right on past.

“Why are you coming?” Marcus asks.

“You didn’t know? Cape High teaches both heroes and villains,” Jack says. “I’m a Cape High student, too.”

“It’s true,” Trent admits. “He’s also my brother.”

“I--I see,” Marcus says. “Family dinners must be really interesting, then.”

“I want to meet your father!” Mercy declares.

“I’m sure he’d like to meet you, as well, ma’am,” Trent says with a slight smile.

***

"HELLLOOOO, Doris!" Skye yells at the top of her voice as she sinks through the ceiling of her new secret base. "I've just come to pick up some clothes—"

"There's no food in the house, whatsoever." The muscular woman is dressed in some of Skye's clothing, but it doesn't fit well at all. It looks like it's going to split at the seams any moment. Her hair—although she's tried brushing it several times, is still a tangled mess falling almost to the floor. She's threatened to cut it off at least three times, but so far Skye's kept her from it—mostly by hiding the scissors in the walls. Skye seems overly fond of her hair, she thinks darkly.

"Oh," Skye says, frowning. "But I'm going on vacation!"

"There's. No. Food," Doris repeats, stepping up to the other female. "I'm STARVING! Maybe you're trying to kill me, is that it?" She grabs Skye by the collar, lifting her slightly off of her feet to try and force the other female into doing what she wants. Skye doesn't even seem to blink at the closeness, she merely cocks her head slightly with a hint of a smile.

"Oh, if I wanted you dead I would have done it a LONG time ago," Skye says waving a hand airily. "You're my new roommate! It's like a sister, right? We can share clothes and go shopping together and play with our hair! But we can't do it yet because I need to meet my new family—"

"Food first," Doris says, a tiny fissure of fear trickling down her spine that she quickly covers. That was just bluff, right? Skye couldn't kill her, could she?

"When I get back we'll get you one of Century's credit cards and you can do your own shopping," Skye says, phasing out of her hold and heading for the ceiling again. "No more destroying things! I spent Century's hard earned money on that microwave!" She points at the box that is now crushed in pieces and looking rather pathetic.

"It's an abomination to cook with that thing," Doris grumbles, not about to admit that she just hadn't been able to figure it out. She'd gotten so irritated with all the buttons and settings and blinking "Error" messages that she'd hit it—and, well, it didn't work. That's happened with a lot of things, actually.

"I'll be right back," Skye says, heading through the ceiling. It leaves Doris alone again, still buried underground, waiting.

She's starting to wonder if she even wants to see the sun again, she thinks as she heads to the large television screen. She's positive the sun will be too bright for her to handle. This television thing is close—but she's almost figured out how to use it, it's somewhat like the one she had back before she was trapped. The only problem is that she's pretty sure there should be more than just the one channel thing…

Maybe she should have asked Skye about it before she left.

It’s morning. I can tell because I hear Emily wandering around her room. Now here’s the real question--if Grandpa Superior can make electricity, can he also make the water hot enough for showers? It’d been nice enough last night when I washed my face, so I have high hopes.

I take my shower (nice and hot, yay!) and get dressed before grabbing my phone. I need to call Trent and find out how it went--or if he’s done anything yet. I guess it is kind of silly to just assume he did it the moment I called, right?

“Grandpa’s going to help me train! Like my snow suit? There's even a com link put in the arm!” Emily says as soon as I step out of my bedroom. My foster sister is wearing what looks like a snow suit--one that's obviously tailor made. How else could she have gotten the symbol she’d forced Ace to draw for her on the back? It’s a large blue star with white and red ribbons swirling over it, like a flapping flag. The suit itself is splashed with reds, whites and blues, like it was hit by paint guns. Her boots, gloves, and hood are all dark blue, the same color as Trent’s uniform.

“I got you one, too, Aubrey!” Liz calls down to us.

“One what?”

“Special snowsuit!” she says, coming down the stairs in her own version of Emily’s suit. “I had the idea last night and flew down to Central to get them made," she adds, holding out a white and silver suit to me. Hers is white with light blue marks. “They’re light enough to move easily in, but warm enough for up here. I don’t actually need one, but doesn’t it look good?” she adds, admiring her outfit. “And here are your boots and gloves,” she says, handing me a silver bag.

I pull it all out, almost laughing at the swirling silver that decorates the suit. “You went with the Cold Steel style, huh?” I tease her as I pull out shiny silver boots and gloves from the bag.

“I thought it would make you happy,” she admits with a little smile. “Of course I added your symbol on the back.”

I turn it, seeing a gold swirling sun design across the back. “I had Ace draw it up for you when he designed mine,” Emily says helpfully.

“Thank you,” I say as I head into my room to pull it all on. The boots are less bulky than the ones I originally brought, but much warmer. The gloves are the same. “I might wind up blinding people out there,” I complain.

“That’s the funnest part!” Emily says evilly. “Grandpa said he’s got something planned for after breakfast, so eat quick!” she says as we all sit down at the kitchen table and dig into the heavily loaded plates Grandma Tatia has already laid out. We thank her when we're done and pull on our coats, heading for the outside.

“How can he train you for a fight against Ace?” I ask as we all head outside and into the snow. There are ice structures floating in the air, I realize with surprise. There are hoops and platforms and various strange objects that I can’t even name. In the center is Superior. He’s just floating there, looking a bit bored, really.

Taurus steps up next to us, looking at the field with wonder. “That is a very powerful man,” he says.

“You realize, I can’t fly,” Emily says as she steps forward, stretching her arms over her head.

“I do--I’ve also heard of your teleporting abilities,” Grandpa Superior says. “We’re going to work on judging distance and landing. Once you can land firmly on flying ice, you’ll be able to land anywhere.”

“It is good there is plenty of snow below,” Grandma Tatia says from behind us, “for when you fall.” I glance back with a little smile.

“Yeah, it really is,” Emily agrees with a hint of trepidation.

“Aubrey, you want to try, too?” Superior asks.

“I think I’ll just watch, thanks,” I say. As if I could even get up that high.

“One more thing,” Liz says, walking over to Emily, “here--spikes,” she tells her, touching a button on Emily’s gloves and boots. “Traction is important.”

“I could consider that cheating, you know,” Superior says.

“You could, but you won’t,” Liz tells him, grinning slightly. “I’m training my daughters to win--not play fair.”

“Fine, but with that advantage I’m going to up the game,” Superior says. “Emily, bring out the doppelganger you’re having the most trouble with.”

“What? No wa--“ she catches herself a little too late, “but Grandpa--“ she says, changing tactics, “I can’t work with her! She’s so hard headed and she’s always doing whatever SHE wants to do, not what I want her to--“

The fact that Superior floats down, standing in front of her silently makes her stop. Emily looks up at him with a pout. “Do I really have to?” she asks.

“Yes, you really have to,” he says. “Bring her out.”

Emily lets out a heavy sigh and Repeat appears behind her. The snow suit she’s wearing is in black with neon versions of the red, white and blue. You have to admire that ability, I admit. All the various outfits she gets away with without even having to shop are amazing.

“What?” Repeat demands.

“We’re training,” Emily says, motioning to the floating obstacle course. “Don’t you dare start complaining, either--“

“Really? Really, really?” Repeat says, getting excited. “We’re being taught by THE Superior? Where’s Ditto? She’s going to do it, too, right?”

“Tomorrow,” Grandpa says, reaching up and patting her on the head, “today is for you and Emily. Isn’t that right, Emily?”

Emily nods, but there’s a confused look on her face as she looks at the doppelganger. “So we just jump from one piece to the next?” she asks.

“No,” Superior says. “You jump from piece to piece trying to catch me,” he tells them, jumping onto the first of the floating hoops. “With two of you, I would suggest coming from two different directions, if you can.”

Emily and Repeat look at each other before disappearing and reappearing on the hoop--Grandpa’s already gone. Taurus is watching with a huge grin. I don’t think he plans on going anywhere.

“Now, since they are playing, shall we do something fun as well?” Tatia asks. “I have been told that you have a defensive mechanism!” she says to me. “Shall we see if we can’t learn to use it? We should do so before Felicia and Jonathan come for dinner,” she adds.

“Duplicitous is coming for dinner?” Liz asks.

“It is one of the reasons you came, is it not?” Tatia says. “She is looking forward to meeting Emily, as well,” she adds.

“Um, can I make a call before we start training?” I ask. “I sent Trent and Jack on a mission last night. I’d like to check up on them.”

“Yes, of course! It might take me a few moments to set up,” Tatia tells me. "Liz, you will help me,” she adds, grabbing my foster mom and pulling her down a hall. “We will be just down here, kitten!” she adds over her shoulder.

“Okay,” I say. Suddenly I’m a bit worried. Tatia, as far as I know, is purely a tank, right? So how can she teach me how to use my attack? I look at my phone, speed-dialing Jack, since he’s fourth on my list of numbers. The first is the Central Hall ER, second is Liz, third is Emily, and then it’s him. I sometimes feel guilty about that line-up, but he just laughs at me when I mention it.

“Hey,” Jack says. “How’s it going?”

“We’re fine. Emily’s training with Superior out front. Did you and Trent go see the family, yet?” I ask, going straight to the point.

“We did—Taurus's dad was right about the girl, she’s getting transferred as soon as all the paperwork on their side is done,” he says.

“Thank you, Jack,” I say, sighing in relief.

“She’s going to be... well, I’ll leave that for when you get home,” he says. “I miss you,” he adds more quietly. I hear laughter in the background, and he goes, “Shuddup you morons,” in a growl. It must be their break time. He tends to hang out with Max and Ace, who are the most likely to laugh at him.

“I miss you, too, Aubrey!” Ace yells. “Hey, when are you going to dump the bolts for brains boy?”

“When are you going to stop hittin’ on my girl, man?” Jack demands.

“When she’s not your girl anymore,” Ace replies evilly.

I can’t help the laugh that escapes me. It’s a bit flattering, even if I know that it’s just to get to Jack. Ace is a really nice guy, after all.

“So if Emily’s training, what are you doing, Aubrey?” Max asks.

“Grandma Tatia says she’s going to teach me how to use my defense ability,” I admit. “I have no idea how, but I’m going to go see what she’s got planned.”

“Be careful,” he says. “Don’t hurt yourself, okay?”

“I won’t,” I promise. “With both Liz and Tatiana overseeing, nothing should go wrong, right?”

“I would hope so,” he says. “See ya, Aub.”

“Bye, Jack,” I say as I hang up. Anything more would be too embarrassing to say when everyone is listening in. Jack isn’t the type to say the “L-word” in front of his fellow super villains. I’m actually a bit stunned he admitted that he missed me. It makes me happy. I have a little smile on my face as I head down the hall Grandma and Liz went down, stopping as I come to a large door. I push it open, looking in curiously.

The room inside is a state of the art exercise room--one designed for tanks. There are massive weight machines that tower high into the air. Instead of punching bags, they’ve got an entire wall of steel that has several fist imprints in it. The wall on the left side of the room is covered with television screens, showing news from all over the world. The entire room is lit by the sun coming through the clear ceiling. Liz and Grandma are standing by another wall, talking quietly.

“Are you sure this is the best way?” Liz asks. “We won’t hurt her, will we?”

“As a healer, she will be fine,” Grandma says. “I have met healers in the past--they are tougher than they believe. It is a matter of pushing her--which, from what my son has said, has not happened yet.” They both turn and look at me expectantly. “Will you try this, kitten?” Grandma asks, motioning to the wall. Looking closer, I realize there are handholds built into the ice.

“You mean, like rock climbing?” I ask. “But--“

“We need to get you to your limits,” Liz says. “Tatiana thinks that by pushing you past your comfort zone, you should be able to access your fight or flight reflexes,” she explains. “You don’t have to worry about falling, we’ll be sure to catch you--we just need to see how much it takes to get you past your threshold. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to--“

I look at my gloves, tapping the button she had pushed on Emily’s. Spikes come out. I repeat the process with my boots. “I think it’ll be fun,” I admit. “I’ve always wanted to try rock climbing walls!”

“See? It will be fine!” Grandma tells Liz. “It will also help with her upper body strength--it is very important in a healer,” she declares. “There are very heavy supers that must be lifted at times.”

“Yeah, there are,” I say as I head to the wall, looking at all the handholds. They cover the wall at various heights and distances from each other. I really think Grandma or Grandpa just stuck their hands into the ice, creating them. I can imagine what it looked like, I think as a grin crosses my face. Can’t you just picture them debating on whether I’ll be able to reach this spot or that?

I feel really loved right now. Obviously this wall would be completely useless to them, right? It was all for me. I start climbing, making my way up the wall slowly. “Do you think we could add one of these to my obstacle course at school?” I ask, reaching gingerly for the next handhold. “This is a lot more entertaining than running a mile.”

“Talk to Nico, I’m sure he can get one,” Liz says.

“Keep climbing, kitten! We need you out of breath,” Grandma says.

I look up, seeing the handholds go all the way to the ceiling, probably a mile above my head.

“I’m sure I’ll get there,” I say dryly. Handhold by handhold, foothold by foothold, I slowly make my way up higher and higher. It becomes instinctive after a while, and my mind starts to wander. Jack had been about to tell me something about the healer girl, right? What was it? Maybe she was still paranoid, even after we proved that we were with the Hall. I can see that, I mean, she reacted so harshly to--

I blink as I bump my head on the ceiling. I almost fall off the wall in shock. “See? She is much tougher than she believes,” Grandma says from right behind me. I look over as Liz moves into view.

“You did it, Aub!” she says excitedly.

“How?” I ask blankly, looking at the ceiling in shock.

“One step after another, kitten,” Grandma says. I dare to look down--feeling slightly light-headed as I see how far up I am. “You are not exhausted enough. I am afraid you will have to go down, as well,” she says.

I turn and stare at her. She gives me a beautiful smile. She looks so proud of that fact, I think as I start searching with my foot. There, I think as I bump into a foothold. Climbing down is a LOT harder, I realize as I slowly start going down.

“You see, I have known a healer,” Grandma explains as they float down alongside me. “She was a lovely woman, but small and not very noticeable in comparison to the rest of the team. I do not mean to say you are not noticeable, kitten! You are quite adorable--“

“It’s okay,” I say. I sound a bit breathless, I notice. “I know I don’t stick out. I look...“ I pause to breathe for a moment, “like a normal girl.”

“I think you’re beautiful,” Liz says faithfully.