James Knight: Teenage Superhuman - B2

Fifty-Five

DEREK

I trudged down the stairs, every step feeling heavier than the one before. I was worn out, the kind of tired that settles into your bones, and my stomach made sure I didn't forget it. Hunger kept pushing me forward until I reached the kitchen. Then I stopped short.

On the counter sat a plate. On that plate was a single strip of bacon. Just one. Sad. Alone. Almost insulting.

I stared at it, trying to process what I was seeing.

Grace stood across from me, leaning back against the counter like she had all the time in the world. Her legs were crossed, and there was that familiar look on her face—the one that meant she was enjoying this far too much.

"Where did the rest of the bacon go?" I asked, honestly baffled.

Her smirk widened. "Cannibalism," she said lightly. "Didn't think you'd ever sink that low." She lifted a strip of bacon and held it just out of reach.

I narrowed my eyes at her, though I couldn't stop the grin from sneaking in. "Careful," I said, reaching for it. "I might have to arrest you later."

She laughed and slipped away before I could grab it. "You'll have to catch me first!"

I shook my head, laughing too, even though we were apparently about to go to war over breakfast. "Alright," I said. "Game on."

I took off upstairs, moving faster now, energy kicking in where exhaustion had been. I changed quickly, muscle memory taking over as I pulled on my uniform. When I clipped my badge in place, the familiar weight settled against my chest, steady and grounding, like flipping a switch back to who I was supposed to be.
I rushed back downstairs and caught Grace staring at the bacon like it was a prize.
"Ready to give up that last piece?" I asked, grinning.

She laughed and lifted the bacon out of reach, clearly pleased with herself. "You're hot, but not that hot," she said, then quickly stuffed it into her mouth. Her laugh filled the kitchen.

I shook my head, amused. "Fair enough," I said, still smiling, and turned to leave. She stopped me before I could get far.

"You heading to work today?" she asked.

"When am I not?" I shot back.

"Just making sure." She batted her lashes dramatically, then leaned on the counter with a sigh, her chin resting against her fist.

"Bye, Grace. Be good," I said, giving her a quick salute as I walked away.

"Bye, loser," she called after me, laughing. I laughed too as I kept going.

∆∆∆

JAMES

"You talked to Max?" Joshua said, almost choking as he tried to chew and swallow his pretzel bagel in one go.

The mall was packed, but for the most part, people left us alone. Now and then, a couple of girls would wander over to ask for a photo, but nothing too crazy.

I drifted toward a storefront filled almost entirely with merchandise made for us. Posters, shirts, collectibles. People liked us. That part never really surprised me.

"See anything you like?" a young employee asked. She'd appeared behind me without warning, grinning as if she'd just won something.

"Uh, no," I said, eyes still wide. "Just... looking."

Her smile grew as she gave me a slow once-over. "It's strange seeing you without your suit. Honestly, it's weird seeing all of you without it." She glanced past me at Noah, Mark, Bryce, and Joshua standing nearby.

Noah walked over, clearly uncomfortable, his ears turning red. He crossed his arms and raised a brow at her. "Believe it or not, we don't live in our suits."

That cocky son of a bitch.

"This is Noah," I said, gesturing toward him.

"And that's Mark, Bryce—my twin—and Joshua," Noah added with a grin. "He's my annoying little brother. Still in training."

Joshua shoved Noah, who stumbled and barely managed to steady himself against the storefront. "I am not!" Joshua yelled.

"Sure," Noah shot back.

"Hey," Mark cut in, his voice low. "Why don't you two idiots take it somewhere else and settle it?" He pointed toward the security office at the far end of the mall.

Noah rolled his eyes and sighed. "You know, you could've just told us to shut up."

Mark laughed. "True. But where's the fun in that?"

Then it happened.

A loud blast echoed from the other side of the mall—BOOM. Another followed—BANG.

Gunfire exploded through the space as civilians screamed and ran for cover. Two, maybe three masked men opened fire.

The cartels were back. And they were furious.
"Shit, shit," Bryce swore. The young woman behind the counter didn't hesitate. She hit a button under the desk and dropped out of sight as we took off down the mall.

Bodies were scattered across the floor, civilians caught in the wrong place at the worst possible time. I didn't know who they were, but my chest tightened anyway. I promised myself we'd get them home to their families.

"Morning, boys," Noah said with a grin, rolling his shoulders and cracking his knuckles. "You ready for round three?"

They raised their guns in unison, ugly smiles creeping across their faces. You could see it in their eyes, the silent count before they fired.

The first shots ripped through the air. Pain hit fast and hot as bullets slammed into us, tearing in deep before stopping short. For a split second, they stayed there, then bounced free, clattering to the floor as our skin closed up as it had never been broken. The pain faded, leaving nothing behind but the memory.

"What the ever-loving fuck?" Noah growled, brushing metal fragments off his chest. Then he barked, "Joshua, get to cover."

Joshua bolted, heading off to check on any survivors and call Dad, Derek, Uncle Sam, and the police. That left the rest of us trying to figure out our next move before someone actually caught a fatal shot.

"You got any genius ideas, Alpha?" Mark shouted, ducking another spray of bullets.

"A couple," I shot back.

"We rush them, break their toys, and pin them down in case they've got more tricks," Noah suggested.

Mark gave a quick nod. "Works for me."

We didn't wait. The three of us charged straight into the gunfire, moving so fast it all blurred together. Shots hissed past us, close enough to feel the air shift, but none of them landed.

We twisted, stepped, and slipped through every round until suddenly we were right there, standing inches from the gunmen, the distance gone in a heartbeat.
Behind us, Bryce peeled off and disappeared into the turmoil outside, his figure swallowed by smoke and noise as he raced to get civilians out.

That's when it hit me—hard and sudden. These weren't trained killers. They weren't monsters. They were kids. Teenagers, no different from us.

We didn't stop to think. We tore the guns from their hands, metal shrieking as we bent and snapped the weapons in two. But we were already too late. Their hands darted to their belts. Each of them pulled free a small vial, the exact kind I'd swallowed years ago. My gut clenched as they tipped their heads back and drained them, eyes blazing with raw adrenaline.

We rushed them, grabbing for the vials, trying to stop what was coming. But the moment our fingers closed around an empty glass, I knew. The change was already underway. They'd done the one thing that still crept into my dreams, the one thing I'd promised myself I'd never allow again. The mistake I could never undo.

Now Alexander and Los Tigre's son had lit the match. Whatever came next wouldn't be contained, and it wouldn't be clean. All I could do was hope they understood what kind of fire they'd just started.