No ordinary hero (Keepers of justice # 1) (4 page)

Okay, she’s not exactly pretty. Does that matter? I’m no jerk, so why should I care what she looks like? It’s only a mission. Just an assignment to save her and the world. I can handle anything.

Lindsay’s
sitting alone at one of the tables in the cafeteria. I stand with my tray. There’s only one thing on it. A bottle of water. Some of the kids back home told me not to eat the school’s lunch because it’ll make me sick. I’m starving, but I don’t want to take that chance.

I walk over to
Lindsay’s table. “Hey. Can I sit?”

No response. She doesn’t even look up at me, just dumps fries into her mouth as she reads a book.

“So...?”

“No.”

Should I sit down anyway? Would that be too rude? Before I even have a chance to move, my cell phone rings. It’s Dad. When Mr. Boss calls, you’ve got to answer. I dump my tray on the table, take my bottle, and rush out of the caf. “Hey, Dad.”

“How’s everything going?”

“Good.”

“Have you found her?”

“Yeah.”

“And?”

I lean against the lockers, watching a guy and girl making out down the hallway. Man, I’ve hardly exchanged two words with most girls back home. I can’t even find out if I’d have any luck with normal girls because I gotta keep my focus on Lindsay. It sucks.

“Kale?”

Right, no distractions. “Lindsay pretty much told me to choke to death, Dad. She won’t even let me sit with her at lunch.”

“Hm
m. I spoke to Shifter earlier. He told me you caused a little bit of a ruckus in his class.”

I snort. He calls
my being a smartass a ruckus? Shifter doesn’t teach at our school in the Tower. He doesn’t know what goes down in the classrooms, and shouldn’t complain about me. “Oh well.”

“Kale.” His voice gets serious. “This isn’t a joke. I want you on your best behavior. Don’t draw attention to yourself.”

“Uh hu.”

“Kale,” he warns.

“Got it, Dad.” The bell rings. “I gotta go. My next class is about to start.”

“All right. I’ll see you
after school.”

I hang up and look around. Everyone’s rushing to their classes. I have art with Miss Wilder.
O-kay. How exactly am I supposed to find the place? Lindsay rushes past me, hood over her head, bag practically falling off her shoulder.

“Hey,” I say, bouncing up to her. She runs faste
r. I try to keep up. “Wanna show me where the art room is?”

She stops and glares at me
with her sharp eyes. Then she points to the classroom right in front of us. In huge letters, it says ART on the door.

“Oh
.” I laugh. “That was easy.”

She grunts and stalks off.

Oh, man. This mission is impossible.

***

My new “dad” is waiting for me in a car outside the school building. As soon as I climb in, he says, “Seatbelt.”

Not that I get the point of wearing this thing when Premonition can see the future, because he’d know if we were to get into an accident. But I guess it’s not a great idea to rely on him with my life. He can’t see everything. I mean, the guy’d go psycho if he did.

“
How was school?” he asks and starts to drive.

“Waste of time.”

He glances at me for a second before putting his gaze back on the road. We drive in silence. It’s kind of awkward sitting here with him in such a closed space. I want to turn on the radio, but I’m not sure if that would piss Premonition off. He spends most of his time in his room or in the Conference Room. I don’t know when was the last time he let loose and had fun.

After about twenty m
inutes, Premonition parks the car in the driveway of the Decoy House. This is the house he and I use to travel back and forth from Brooklyn to the League Tower. It’s not really a tower, more like a mansion. We just call it the Tower. It’s located in upstate New York, where we can be as isolated as much as possible so we don’t get harassed by all the normies and their reporters. We don’t leave the area much. Only to save the world.

The Decoy House looks like a
ny normal house in Brooklyn. It’s furnished so that in case someone happens to come by, it won’t look suspicious. No one lives in it, though. I’m not sure if any of the kids even know about it. I didn’t until this morning when Premonition took me to school. He said if I bring anyone in here, I’m a dead man. This is a top-secret place where only the Big Guys are allowed (and me!).

We get out of the car and Premo
nition uses his key to unlock the front door. “So will I ever get my own key or are you always going to babysit me like this?” I ask.

He doesn’t answer, just closes the door after me and locks it.
I follow him all the way to the back, where he takes out another key and uses it to unlock another door. Now we’re in the Transport Room. Well, I named it that.

I
’ve got no clue how it works. Premonition and I get into this elevator and the doors close after us. A second later, the doors open and we’re in the basement of the League Tower. Pretty sweet.

“
So will you tell me now how this thing works?” I ask him.

He motions
for me to follow him upstairs. “Your father is waiting for you,” he says as soon as we’re on the first floor.

Okay
, time to report back to the boss.

The next morning, I
’m all pumped to see Lindsay. After talking with Dad yesterday, I went to watch my friends train in the Simulation Room. I train, too, but mostly self-defense since I’ve got no powers. I used to get jealous every time I watched the kids use their powers. But it was different last night. Instead of feeling inadequate and inferior, I felt good. Because I’m going to save the world and I don’t need powers for this. I’ve got to be me.

I
spot Lindsay at her locker and rush over. “Hey.” The top of her face is covered with that red hoodie, and she’s got gray sweatpants on. “Want to go to history together?”

“No.” She rummages through her locker. “Leave me alone.”

“Can’t.”

“Why.” Her voice is
cold. She won’t look at me.

“‘Cuz.”

She slams her locker and moves down the hallway. I follow. “I’m dumb. Like really dumb, and I need help catching up with history. Up for the task?”

“Go away.”

Awesome. “Why you being so rude to me?” I ask.

She turns into the classroom and heads in, bumping my shoulder in the process.
Nice. I go inside and sit across her. She grunts as she takes out her textbook and notes.

“So,” I say. “Got a boyfriend?”

No answer. Maybe that wasn’t the best conversation starter. I lean back in my chair and cross my arms over my chest. This isn’t going to bother me. Dad never said it was going to be a piece of cake. I’ve got to remember that this girl’s been through hell. Of course she’s not part of the welcoming committee. I have to be patient.

“Good morning, students,” Shifter says as he walks into the
classroom. “I’d like to start the day off with a pop quiz. Please clear your desks.”

What the
—? This is one of those moments where I wish I had telepathy so I could yell at him through my mind. I mean, I get he’s the teacher and whatever, but he doesn’t have to be this harsh. It’s my second day at this school. He could have cut me some slack or something.

Raising my hand, I say, “Yo, I’m new so I’ll pass.”

Shifter gives me this face like I’m not getting away with it. I open my eyes wide, begging, but he looks from me to Lindsay and subtly tilts his head toward her. What exactly does he want me to do?

I turn to her. “Uh, can I cheat off you?”

“Drop dead.”

I sink in my chair. “
Nice.”

After the quiz is done, Shifter continues the lesson on the
French Revolution. Then it’s time for him to assign partners for that project.

“Billy Jack with...
Lindsay Moore.” Surprise surprise. Lindsay turns toward me and narrows her eyes. I give her a smile. I mean, most girls can’t resist my smiles. She grunts. Never mind. I guess they can.

“I’m going to give you the rest of the period to get together and brainstorm. The team with the most creative project is going to be excused from the final
exam at the end of the term.”

The kids whoop and cheer. I push my desk closer to Lindsay, but she pushes hers back.
Seriously?

“Right, so you got any ideas?” I ask.

Nothing.

“I
really got no clue what to do. I know squat about history,” I continue.

Nothing again.

“Linds, look...”

“It’s
Lindsay
.”

“Right, okay. So whatc
hya got?”

She opens her notebook and poises her pen to write. “
I want to focus on many countries, like an event that affected all of Europe. World War Two is too cliché, and I did the Bubonic Plague in middle school. I’m trying to come up with something original.”

I nod. “Okay, okay, yeah.”

She rubs the back of her pen against her lips. I bend closer. She’s got nice lips. Not too wide and not too thin. She glares at me and I quickly sit back.

“Let’s do the Great Depression,” she says
, “but from a European point of view.” Her eyes suddenly get bright.

I know nothing about that, but nod because she
’s totally into this. “Okay, cool. Wanna get together at your place after school?”

Her face gets a little red and she turns away from me.
The shine in her eyes is gone. “What did I say?” I ask.

“Nothing. Just...
I want to do this on my own.”

What? “No, you can’t. Shifter—I mean, the teacher
—said we have to work together. Fifty fifty. I’ll be screwed if you do it all on your own.”

She shrugs
. “So I’ll put your name on it.”

“No, you really don’t understand. I’ll be in a lot of hot
water if I don’t work on this with you.”

She snorts.

“Look,” I say. “You don’t get it. I’ve got to be on this, too.”

“No. And don’t talk to me.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Oh no. I shouldn’t have said that. Lindsay sits up and glares at me again, so hard it looks like fire’s searing in her eyes. Oh no, oh no, she’s going to blow. I’ve failed. Earth’s a goner.

“Screw you,
jerk,” she spits, shoots to her feet, and leaves the room. Shifter raises his head from whatever he’s doing and lifts an eyebrow. I sink in my chair, puffing out some air.

“Billy, a word
outside, please?”

I
pull myself up and follow Shifter out of the classroom. “What’s going on, Kale?” he asks.

“No one told me she’d be like this.”

Shifter doesn’t say anything for a bit. “I’ll have to call Premonition to ask him if his visions have changed. Didn’t your father tell you how unstable that girl is?”

“Yeah, he told me.”

Shifter takes out his phone. “Return to class, please.”

I don’t go back
. I stand there and listen to his conversation with Premonition. Seems like the explosion’s still set for three months. The world’s safe for now. “Kale,” Shifter says. “Your father wants you to call him.”

“
Fine.”

I
make my way down the hallway and sit on the floor, taking out my phone from my pocket, and dial Dad. I know he’s going to be upset with me for almost compromising the mission, and I feel really crappy about it. I didn’t know the girl was going to be like that. I mean, I know she’s had a hard life and all, but maybe if she treated others with respect, she’d be better off.

“I heard what happened,” Dad says.

“I messed up,” I mutter.

“Where’s Lindsay?”

I scan the halls. She’s not around. The only person out here is a janitor who’s dancing with a mop. Pretending not to see that, I say to Dad, “Don’t know.”

“Find her, Kale.”

I clench my left fist. “Dad—”

“Find her
. If you can’t be mature about this, I’ll have to—”

“What? Find another kid with no powers to do the job? You know what? I quit. None of you believe I
can do it!”

“Kale,
relax. Do you want the others to help you search for her?”

“I’m not looking for her. S
ince when did I become her babysitter?”

Dad’s quiet for a second. Then he sighs. “All right, son.
Get your things. You’re coming home.”

In Dad’s office. He hasn’t said a word to me since I left school and came here five minutes ago. He’s staring at the posters around his office. I look at them, too. They’re inspiration—news articles on the League’s success, trophies, awards.

There’s a huge award above all the others, commending the League on destroying the ShadowBlades, a group of dangerous villains. And the League’s arch nemesis. Four years ago, the ShadowBlades plotted to start World War Three between the normies. Wanted a human-free world. The League thwarted their plans and took down the Blades.

I don’t belong among
all this greatness. I’ve failed.

“I’m sorry,” I say.

“Are you?” He has that look in his eyes, the one that freaks us out. He’s used it on me a few times in my lifetime, but not like this. Today, he’s pissed to the extreme. Even his blonde hair’s standing up like it wants to slap me.

“Are y
ou going to kick me out?” I ask.

“We don’t kick anyone out. You know that, Kale. This Tower is a home to all those who are different and special and not accepted by the
regular world.”

My eyes flash to his and I clench my fists. “I’m not different, Dad! Or special. I don’t belong here. I’m not one of you.”

Dad stares at me for a little while. He then stands up and walks around his desk to me. Placing his hand on my shoulder, he says, “Talk to me, son. What’s wrong?”

I shrug his hand off. “I don’t know.”

“Is it the mission?”

“I don’t...
no, I don’t think so. Geez. Can I go to my room?”

He slowly nods. I get to my feet and head for the door. Dad’s mad at me. No, not mad. Disappointed. He’s lost
. Doesn’t know what to do about Lindsay. Conflicted. All because of me. Because I couldn’t man-up and accept my mission. I don’t want to let him down. Or the League, or Earth. So what if Lindsay is so impossible? She’s going to blow up the planet. I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do.

“Dad.” I turn around and
return to him. He’s at the window, looking at the family photos standing on the nearby shelf. He plucks a picture of him, Mom, and me off, and gazes at it.

“Whenever I go on a mission, I feel her watching me,” he says. “Her love gives me the strength and power to succeed.”

“I want to make Mom proud,” I tell him.

He looks up at me and smiles a little. “She is proud of you.”

“No, I could have destroyed Earth today.”

He shakes his head, puts the picture down, and steps over to me. “This is partly my fault. You weren’t prepared for the mission.”

“What?”

He points to a chair and we sit down. “We don’t know much about Lindsay. Her abilities are so powerful
that we don’t know entirely what she’s capable of, what could set her off. I should have told you to be careful around her. I should have warned you that you’re going into this blindly. Dr. Evans told me you skipped his sessions to play video games with your friends.” Oops, yeah. I skipped one. Okay, two. Besides, the shrink didn’t help me much, anyway. Dad sits back and sighs. “Maybe you
are
too young for this.”

“No, Dad. I can do it. I swear.”

He bends close. “I need you to be patient with her. Don’t let her upset you. If she’s hard on you, accept it. If she hates you, that’s okay. If she—”

“Spits on me?”

“Let her. Soon enough, she will earn your trust. I can’t have you arguing with her.”

I straighten up. “Did Premo
nition’s visions change?”

“Fortunately, no.”

I force out a laugh. “Guess she wasn’t too mad at me, huh?”

He doesn’t laugh. “I need you to go back to school and work on
your project with Lindsay. Can you do that?”

“Yeah, yes. Definitely.”

***

While I was with Dad, Shifter found Lindsay in the park near
the school and got her to return to class. I stand outside the building, waiting for the last bell to ring and for Lindsay to come out. I know she takes a little longer to pack her things because she doesn’t like to leave the building with the other kids.

I’m going to be cool about this. I won’t let her
piss me off, and I won’t piss her off. Not purposely.

“Hey!” I say, rushing over to her. “I’m sorry about before. Can we kiss and make up?”

She glares at me.

“That wa
s a lame attempt at being funny...” I say.

“Yeah, very lame.” She
presses her books to her chest and continues down the block. Her head’s bent down like the ground is worthier to be looked at than me.

A rabbit hops
a few feet away. That’s Animal. I can tell by the scar above her lip. She twitches her nose and I give her a “thumbs up.”

“You know,” I tell
Lindsay. “I’m really a great guy. Once you get to know me, you—”

“I don’t care.”

What can I say to make her talk to me? “Can I carry your books?” I ask. She clutches them tighter and speeds up. O-kay. “I think you’re pretty!” I call after her.

Oh, man. I probably shouldn’t have said that.
I’m such a moron.

She stops walking and turns around. Slowly, s
lowly, she makes her way to me. Comes really close and hisses, “Liar.”

“No,
it’s the truth.” Maybe I shouldn’t have said that, either. Man, it’s like I no longer have control over my brain.

She grunts and stomps on my foot.
Ow! This almost feels like the time Stone Junior accidentally stepped on my foot in the Sim Room. Felt like an entire building collapsed on my toes. I grab my foot and hop on my other one as I try to rub the pain away. Ouch.

“You’re such a freakin’ liar!” she shouts. “Leave me alone and go back to wherever you came from.”
She turns around.

“P...
please,” I pant. “Don’t go.” I collapse on the ground and moan, rolling back and forth as I writhe in agony. Fine, maybe I’m overdoing it a little because the pain’s lessening, but I’ve got to make her feel sorry for me. How else do I get her to talk to me?

My plan’s working. Lindsay bends down and touches my back. “Sorry, I didn’t mean—are you okay?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Can you walk?”

I try to step on my injured foot, but fall back. Of course I technically could walk, but she’s buying this helpless act.

“
Did I break it?” she asks. “God, I’m so stupid!” Her hands tremble as she fists them and her eyes tear. Oh, man. This isn’t good. She’s going to explode!

“No, no,
no,” I say, jumping to my feet. “I’m cool. I’m good.” I give her a big smile and walk on my foot to show her that she hasn’t caused me any permanent damage. But I make sure to limp a little bit, too, so she won’t think I was faking.

She watches as I circle around her. Doesn’t say a word
as she runs her hand over her eyes.

“So,” I say, stopping before her. “Wanna go to your house to work on the project?”

“I’d rather not.”

Great. This isn’t working. “Okay, but
you know we’ll have to get it done eventually, so we might as well start.”

She shakes her head.

“Look,” I say. “I apologized for what I said earlier. I forgive you for almost breaking my foot. What else can I do?”

She starts walking and I limp after her. Does this mean she’s inviting me to her house?

“You won’t leave me alone until we finish this project, will you?” she asks.

“Probably not.”

“Fine. My house is down the block.”

“Cool. Thanks.”

We’re quiet as we walk. Lindsay tugs on her hood. I don’t know why she tries to cover her face. I mean, yeah her zits aren’t exactly appealing, but underneath all that I’m sure she’s cute.

“Here it is,” she says, stopping in front of her house. The place is all right. A black gate that looks like it was repainted recently surrounds the house. There’s a little garden with flowers that’s split in half by a path that leads to the front door. I follow Lindsay up the stairs. She stabs her key in the lock and pushes the door open. It’s completely different inside.
Reeks of fish and cigarettes. The kitchen wallpaper is peeling off. The floors are dirty and covered with food stains. Lindsay leads me to the living room, which is probably the biggest room in the whole house. It smells musty.

“Do you want a drink?” she asks.

“Yeah, thanks.”

“Okay, sit down.
I’ll get my laptop from my room.”

I lower myself onto the torn sofa and look around. There’s not much to see. The walls are yellow, peeling, the carpet’s gray and fading.
I crane my neck to look deeper into the house. There’s not much there, either. It’s weird to see this type of living. The only times I’ve seen houses other than the Tower’s are in movies and TV shows. Nothing compares to the Tower. Well, if you don’t count those mansions billionaires live in.

Lindsay returns and gives me a Coke. “Thanks,” I say. “Your parents home?”

“I don’t have parents.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

She shrugs and sits down, placing her laptop on her knees.

“What happened?”

She glares at me. Okay, geez. It’s not like I don’t know what happened to them—they died the day she was born. I read it in those papers Dad gave me. Was trying to make conversation.

“So who do you live with?”

She’s about to answer when the front door opens and a woman bursts inside and slams grocery bags on the table, muttering and cursing.

After taking one look at u
s, she marches over. “Who’s this, Lindsay?” she demands, narrowing her eyes and looking me over like I’m a cockroach lying on my back with my legs kicking.

“Ka
—I mean, Billy. Billy Jack,” I say, getting up and stretching out my hand to her. She sniffs me, her nostrils flaring, and steps back.

O-kay.

“We’re doing a project together,” Lindsay says. “He won’t stay long.”

Won’t stay long? I sit back down and stare at Lindsay. She looks away.

“Good.”

The woman leaves the room. It’s quiet. I don’t know what to say, so I clear my throat and chug down my Coke.

“Sorry,” Lindsay says in a low voice, avoiding m
y eyes.

I shrug. “Hey, we all got our
stuff to deal with.”

She slowly turns to face me. Tugs h
er hood tighter over her head. “My aunt doesn’t let me have friends over. Especially guys.” She shifts on the couch, like she wants to get out of here.

“You don’t have to explain anything,” I say. That’s not true. I
need to know more about her, but Dad says she’s got to trust me first. “So, about the project...”