How Many Heroes

13- Luke

I slammed my pencil on the table and put my head in my hands. There was no way I was going to finish all this homework by Monday if I it took me thirty minutes to do a single math problem. Mom was right- I was falling behind in my classes, and it's so hard to catch up.

The doorbell rang, giving me the perfect excuse to take a break from Algebra. I walked to the door and looked through the peephole to see who it was, then slowly opened the door. What was he doing here?

"Hello," Luke said. He smiled at me, but his eyes were sad. The rolled up sleeves of his shirt showed a gash on his forearm.

I raised my eyebrows. "Are you okay?" I asked, opening the door wider for him to come in. He didn't.

"I need to talk to you."

"Alright," I said, again widening the door. "No one's home. We can talk here."

He shook his head. "I can't explain here. Can you come over?"

"Luke, I can't just... What do you want to tell me so badly?"

"Everything," he said.

I froze. I had always known there was something strange about Luke, and ever since I met him I was desperate to know what it was. But the bleak look on his face made me unsure whether I still wanted to.

He pulled a strip of paper form his pocket. "This is my address. If you still want to, meet me there at six." He took my hand and folded the paper into it, leaving a comforting warmth behind. His eyes met mine. "You don't have to come. But I think you deserve to know the truth about me before it's too late."

I squinted at the address in my hand. It seemed familiar, but I knew I'd never seen it before. "What do you mean 'too late'?" I asked.

He didn't answer. When I looked up, he was gone.

I sighed. No use looking for him. I closed the door then leaned against it, staring into my empty house. My parents would hate it if I went out. It wasn't safe, especially for me. On the other hand, my curiosity about Luke had been eating me up for months. And something about his ominous tone made sure that this chance wouldn't come again. I had to go. I had to understand Luke, if only just a little bit.

Too anxious to finish my homework, I paced around the house for an hour or so, speculating about Luke. Maybe he really had healed me that night when I was almost kidnapped. Or at the party at Hathaway's house, was it possible that he was somehow controlling the boys?

At five o'clock, I walked to the bus stop and waited for Carlo, then asked him to take me to Pennies. He looked as if he wanted to question me about that, but then thought better of it. He probably didn't want to know. I sat on a seat in the middle, like I always do, and stared out of the window. The sun hung low in the sky, barely visible under low, gray clouds. By the time I got back, it would be dark.

The bus stopped at a rusty convenience store. I recognized it from the last time I was in Pennies, with my friends.

"This okay, Beth?" Carlo asked.

"Y-yeah. Thank you, Carlo."

He shook his head. "You're welcome, Beth. But be careful out there. Didn't you hear about the boy who was killed last week? Things are crazy 'round here."

I swallowed hard. He was talking about Zach. "I-I will." I said, stepping off of the bus. I watched Carlo drive off, leaving me on the cracked sidewalk. Next to me, a bent stop sign onward, as if leading me. Aside from the scuffle of rats and wind, there was no sound. Either everyone was hiding from the gang, or this place was as creepy as I thought it was. I got the Mace from my bag and clutched it in my hand, ready to aim. Then I followed the direction of the stop sign.