Page 64 of Supernova

She stood a hundred paces away, the city lights from outside the window glinting off her metal face mask and the familiar weapons slung across her hips. The black hood overshadowed her face, making it impossible to see her eyes. Adrian blinked, resisting the urge to remove his glasses and clean their lenses.

“You alllikedher,” Nightmare cooed. “You’re all so verysorryit was her.” She tsked a few times. “Well, I hate to be a nonconformist, but to be honest, I wasn’t all that sorry. Nova McLain deserves everything she got.”

Adrian’s mouth was so dry he didn’t think he could speak, even if he’d had something to say. Even if the only word resonating in his thoughts wasn’t, simply,Impossible.

Impossible. Impossible. Impossible.

It wasn’t Nova. That much was clear, not only because Nova was imprisoned on an island two miles off the coast, but also because the voice didn’t match. Now that he was standing right in front of Nightmare. Now that he could take a moment to compare what he’d only had vague memories of before, the difference was clear.

Still sardonic. Still dry.

But not Nova.

“My compliments on your impressive capture of those two lowlifes,” Nightmare said, and it took Adrian a moment to remember the unconscious burglars. “I doubt two non-prodigies were all that difficult to apprehend, but nevertheless, it’s nice to witness one of the rare occasions when the Renegades don’t show total incompetence.”

“Who are you?” said Danna, her voice cutting through the haze in Adrian’s thoughts, reminding him where they were, who they were. Renegades. Heroes.

Facing a villain.

The same villain. Always Nightmare. Again and again.

He began to wonder if maybe he was dreaming, but a quick squeeze over his newest tattoo, still sore to the touch, ensured that he was very much awake.

“You know who I am,” Nightmare drawled. Then she chuckled, settling a hand on the pouch at her hip from where Adrian had seen her pull those clever throwing stars in battles past. “Oh, wait, I suppose you don’t know who I am, because you think thatgirlis me. Thank you, by the way, for finally picking up on all those clues I’ve been leaving around. It took you long enough to solve the puzzle, but there we are again, back to your famed incompetence. I’ll admit, it was more difficult to frame her than I thought it would be, but that’s what I get for relying on the observation skills of a bunch ofheroes.You guys really couldn’t be any more oblivious.”

“Quit the act,” said Danna, taking a step closer. Her body was taut, her hands squeezed into fists, and Adrian could tell she was preparing to swarm. “We know you’re not Nightmare. The real Nightmare is in prison, where she belongs.”

“Are you sure about that?” Nightmare said, drumming her fingers against the pouch.

Adrian swallowed, hating the confusion muddling his thoughts. Because no… no, suddenly, he wasn’t sure about anything.

“Nova McLain is Nightmare,” Danna said through her teeth. “So who are you?”

“Nova McLain is a Renegade,” Nightmare said, her tone dripping with disdain. “Insomnia,” she spat. “But she wasn’t a very good hero, was she? She deserves to be in prison, after she failed to save my grandfather. She deserves for the world to see her as a liar and a fraud. You superheroes are always promising to save people. But did she step in to save my grandfather when the Detonator shot him? No! She watched it happen.” Nightmare’s stance changed, from relaxed to livid, her hands clenching. “I’ll never regret what I’ve done to her. I needed a decoy and she was just too perfect an opportunity to pass up. Someone had to take the fall for me, when you guys wouldn’t get off my back after the parade incident.”

“You’re lying,” said Danna. With a growl, she transformed. The mass of butterflies soared toward Nightmare.

Nightmare cocked her head, the hood shifting so that the light from the jewelry displays illuminated one side of her face, though Adrian couldn’t tell if she was surprised or amused.

Then Nightmare took a single step to her left, and disappeared.

Ruby gasped. Maybe they all gasped. Adrian started forward, his heart thundering, as Danna’s butterflies formed a cyclone around the column that Nightmare had apparently just walked into.

The mirrored column.

Danna re-formed, one hand pressed against the glass, her face incredulous. “What the hell?”

“And I thought our conversation was going so well.”

They spun around. Nightmare reappeared in the doorway to a dressing room, her arms folded as she leaned against the doorjamb.

Adrian traded looks with his team. Though he was feeling no less befuddled than he had the moment Nightmare emerged from that platform of mannequins, he was beginning to realize that standing around gawking at her wasn’t going to answer any of his questions—or make the world any safer, for that matter.

“My plan was coming together so well, I’ll have you know,” Nightmare continued, as if there’d been no interruption. “I want to make it clear that I am not sorry that Nova McLain is in prison.Good.No one is searching for Nightmare anymore.Perfect.But no, your precious Council couldn’t just leave well enough alone, could they? They ruin everything.” She sighed heavily. “There are rumors about—and correct me if I’m wrong—but they say the Renegades are soon going to execute Nova McLain. You’re going to go ahead and actually kill her!” She put a finger to her jaw, as if in contemplation. “Even though all the evidence you have against her is purely circumstantial? My—that doesn’t sound like something the Renegades would do, does it? But that’s what I’ve heard. And at first, I thought, well, even better. With Nova McLain dead, she won’t be proclaiming her innocence anymore. And she did fail to save my grandfather, so what goes around comes around…”

Grandfather.

At least one piece clicked in Adrian’s mind.

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