By the ti Haley, Jaclyn, and I got changed and went downstairs, Vaughn had cald down, but we didn't get to talk to him much. We said goodbye in the parking lot and watched him drive off in his mother's Audi.
Then I drove Jaclyn and Haley ho, Haley next to in the front and Jaclyn in the back.
Typically for February, the sun was already setting. I pulled out of the parking lot and drove toward 90th Street, the road that would take us most of the way to Jaclyn's.
We rode ho in the twilight, no one saying very much at first. I guessed they might be tired. I certainly was.
As we crossed the railroad tracks on the south side of the city, Jaclyn said, "He knows how to fight. Did you see it when he threw ? He didn't use anything more than normal human strength and I ended up lying on the mat."
"Lee says he's got better than human abilities uh... 'in storage' sowhere, but he doesn't use them. Sothing about not liking the price."
"Let guess... The bank of powers charges fees for early withdrawals?"
"I think he said they were 'in storage just outside of reality.' I didn't ask him for details."
"He slls wrong," Haley said. "Not really wrong. He slls like a person, but... off."
I glanced over at her. She looked thoughtful, but with a slightly nervous smile.
"Off, how? Like he's spoiling?"
"I don't know. Just off. It doesn't an I don't like him. He's funny, and he's a better teacher than so of mine at school, but I don't think he's... human."
"That's okay," I said. "I don't think he is either."
"Good," Jaclyn said. "Then it sounds like we're all on the sa page. When I told my grandpa what I was doing this afternoon he said, 'You're training with Günther? Never thought I'd see it,' but then he said, 'you should be completely safe provided he understands you're Nick's friend'."
"Really? I don't know what he ant by that."
"You did tell him that we were your friends, right?"
"Maybe not directly, but it seems obvious." I slowed the car as we approached a stop sign. "I'll make a point of saying sothing if it'll make people feel better."
Haley adjusted her position in the seat. "So what is he, Nick?"
"I don't know. All I've ever known about him is that he's immortal, he's a good musician, and he's good at killing people. Outside of that, it's all speculation."
* * *
With Haley working and Daniel busy, I didn't have anything particular to do after school the next day. I ended up lingering in the hall next to my locker talking to Chris Cannon.
"-- and after I changed that," Chris said, "you would not believe the acceleration. Zero to sixty in four seconds."
If you co across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from . Please report it.
"In a Honda Civic? Are you trying to die?"
"I've had so ideas about that. I figure there's got to be so way to reinforce it so that it can handle a high speed crash..."
We swapped ideas about sches for crash proofing a small car while the halls drained of people. Part of wondered if discussing what were essentially strategies for constructing armor with the grandson of Man-machine was such a hot idea. Another part rejoiced. When else did I ever get to discuss things like this with soone who cared or who could talk at more or less the sa level?
"I was talking with my grandfather," he began.
That brought back to reality.
"I brought my grandmother to visit him in prison and he had a bunch of ideas."
"Yeah?" I wondered if any of them included revenge.
"They were amazing, but really complex. Just to try them, I'd need the equipnt that the FBI confiscated from his house."
Sean Drucker broke into the conversation, "Your grandfather, the supervillain? That's hard core. Gonna put a laser together?"
Sean stood just behind and slightly to the right of Chris, a position that emphasized that he was about six inches taller than either of us. His question represented the friendliest thing he'd said in my presence in the last five years.
Chris moved his back toward the locker, apparently not liking the idea of having Sean behind him, and turned to say, "Private conversation, Sean."
"I'm not trying to bother you. I'd just like a word with Nick over here."
"What's up?"
Maybe I could get it over with quickly.
"You're going out with Haley. I went out with Haley last sumr. I thought I'd give you so advice."
"Advice?"
"Dump her. She's got a screw loose sowhere. One night we were making out and I thought we were just about to, you know, seal the deal, when all of a sudden I'm feeling sick and I can't move.When my parents brought to the hospital, the labs found poison in my blood. Poison. She fucking poisoned . So watch out."
"Oh right," Chris said, "because that thing with the poison. It didn't have anything to do with you. She just did that for no good reason."
"Hey," Sean said, "I'm not talking to you, dumbass." To , he continued, "Don't say I didn't warn you."
Maybe I should have been saying what Chris said, but I didn't. I wanted the conversation over with and I really didn't want public speculation about where the poison ca from.
As Sean walked away, I asked Chris, "Why did you say that? Do you know sothing?"
"Nothing much," Chris said. "I've just heard he's a jerk."
User Comments
0 comments from readers