Page 46 of No Capes
I cough, which comes out like a wheeze. “Thanks.”
Capital Cliffs slope underneath us. The cliffs’ ledge is long, hundreds of meters, and we sit a thirty second walk from the guard rail, safe from the ocean below. Crushed cans litter the limestone, settled among the leaves. Cars speed past, and bursts of waves break against the boulders, but Kristen’s opinion cuts through it all.
“I’m not surprised you have powers,” she says. “You can hold your breath underwater for three and a half minutes.”
“Longer. I got bored with beating you and came up early.”
“Right. I am shocked at Arielle breaking the law like that. Didn’t think she had it in her. And Dark Static and Golden Ace working together? Literal awesomesauce. When do I get to meet them?”
The more I tell her, the more my heart swells. I love her so much.
“What’s next, though?” I ask. “I can’t call the police about being kidnapped or Phil hurting me, since they basically workfor him. And I can’t tell Arielle, because then she’ll know that I know, and probably tell Phil.”
“You can talk to your dad,” Kristen suggests. “And you have me and Dark Static and Golden Ace. Dream team, honestly. By the way, are we thinking Phil did it?”
I cradle my head in my arms. Trucks zoom behind us, and the ocean seems just as loud. But there’s no ringing in my ears.
“There’s no proof Phil was responsible,” I say. “Only proof that he wanted to hurt people for knowing too much. Knowing what, though?”
“We’re back to thinking it was Mr. and Mrs. Levine, and maybe the hydroplane was an accident?”
I remember Phil’s voice on the tapes.We have to take them out.‘Them.’ Not ‘her.’
“He wanted Fox’s parents gone too,” I say.But what caused Mom’s skull fracture before the car crash?
Kristen coughs. “You know, if you want to find out more about Bridges…”
I know where she’s leading. “No. I’m not going to Hallowfest.”
“It’s at hishouse,Mads. I can ditch Aaron and get you in.”
“Phil already wants to kidnap me. His house is the freaking lion’s den. No way.”
“You’ll have a mask on,” says Kristen. “I’ll make you a superb one. No one will recognize you.”
“I’ll think about it. Don’t ditch Aaron yet.” If Aaron really is Dark Static, he’ll need a way into Hallowfest too.
As if she can sense my restlessness, Kristen pushes my cup against my wrist. “Drink up, Mads. You need it.”
I swallow some lukewarm Earl Grey, not my favorite, but my body reacts to the liquid almost instantly, my tiredness vanishing with every swallow.
“Outstanding,” Kristen says as I perk up. “If I could do that, I’d never fall asleep during a test again.”
I look over the water, where the waves go white against the rocks. I wish I could agree with her.
“Someone died today. Because of me.”
The good guys don’t kill. That’s the takeaway I’ve gotten from every Superhero story in the universe. Even when Golden Ace defends Capital City from a villain, civilian casualties are mostly non-existent. What does it say about me, that I’ve taken Jack Wilson’s life?
“It was an accident,” says Kristen. “You couldn’t have known you had powers, and he pushed you. And he kidnapped you!”
“I don’t think that will hold up in court.” I pull my legs toward me, unable to sit still. “I should be in jail.”Holy Aces. I should be in jail.
“What if he had a family?” I ask. “What if he was a single dad? What if—”
She cuts me off. “Madeline. Phil assigned Wilson to hurt you knowing this could happen. Whatever Wilson’s situation was, Phil didn’t have to ask what-if. He knew. He put Wilson’s life at risk, andheknew the costs.”
After the tide collides with the cliffs, it swirls around the rocks, then back into the ocean.
