How Much I Know - a Renegades | Marissa Meyer fan fiction

Chapter 33

Mara watched Kahless leave her house. Kahless never stayed very long, but was always very helpful, albeit not very talkative. She always did more than Mara, and it was making the younger girl seem useless. At least she could do something for the Anarchists instead of being a stationary dead weight. It was her hunger that she needed to do something for other people or else she would feel guilty and unsatisfied. Those two words described her right now.

"What are you thinking?" Narcissa asked her.

"I feel useless. I haven't been actually doing anything these past few days, seeing as the Anarchists are scared of me and I've learned that the Renegades aren't good rulers. I don't know what to do." Mara sighed. "I know you're thinking I should take a break, but I don't want a break. One doesn't take a break from their life."

Narcissa nodded in understanding. "What do you plan to do, then?"

Mara frowned and took a deep breath. "First of all, I should get over my father's death. That isn't helping anyone. I should get out more and maybe volunteer at a school or something. I should also try to help Kahless with her memory issues. And I should talk to Nova about helping the Anarchists any way I can."

Narcissa grinned. "I think you're on to something. What can I do?"

"How would you like to come volunteer with me at the school just down the block?" she said with a smile.

"Why I'd love to," Narcissa replied, a small smile gracing her lips as the two girls linked arms.

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"Wouldn't it be nice to have the Renegades stop searching for you?" Ingrid's voice, from around the corner. Mara glanced wide-eyed at Narcissa who shared the expression.

"What's happening?" Narcissa whispered frantically. Mara shook her head in response, having no idea what was going on.

"Watch," she ordered. Narcissa nodded in agreement.

"Yes. What do you suggest?" Nova replied suspiciously.

"What of we faked our deaths? The Detonator and Nightmare, killing each other. Wouldn't be that suspicious, would it?"

"Hence, what do you suggest?" Nova repeated.

"Well, if we take a small group of Renegades - not too many because they might try to break it up - and make them watch as the Detonator and Nightmare kill each other," Ingrid explained.

"But, you're the Detonator," Nova observed.

"Right, keep up. Anyway, you'll shoot some blanks, fake blood, and then explosions will destroy our bodies. Boom! (pun intended) The Renegades will think we're dead. Easy." Ingrid folded her arms and looked smug with her plan.

"That's too easy; the Renegades aren't that stupid," Nova said.

"Ah, but how stupid were they when they lost one of their highest...?" Ingrid prompted.

"What do you mean?" Nova asked, a bit more intense than last time.

"Oh, sorry, look over there! That's Adrian over there, he'll be at the house soon!" Ingrid smirked while Nova growled, running off towards her house.

Mara looked back at Narcissa. "We should go," she whispered. Naricssa nodded in recognition and turned around to leave, as did Mara, but the marching of footsteps stalled their own.

"Why should I trust you?" asked Kahless. Mara peered around the corner again.

"We really should go!" Narcissa whisper-screamed, tugging on Mara's sleeve. Mara did not budge, knowing that Kahless was in real danger being near the Detonator. "Oh," Narcissa relented, noticing Kahless's recognizable bright hair.

"Narcissa, you're in danger. Go!" Mara ordered, grabbing the mirror she kept in her fanny pack and holding it up to her friend.

Narcissa frowned. "I'm not leaving you." She pocketed the mirror. "Thanks, though."

Mara nodded but bit her lip. She didn't want to put Narcissa in danger. Even when she had a power no one else could claim, if the villain attacked both of Mara's friends at the same time, one may have to die. Mara reluctantly turned back to the fight.

"Why should I trust you?" Ingrid responded snappily.

Kahless smirked. "Nova needs to trust you. She's my friend if you don't remember, and if I tell her not to trust you she will scratch this entire plan. You need my trust."

"I only need your death."

Mara knew that death-by-explosion would be rather obvious to Nova, so why was Ingrid so confident? But there were other ways to kill people, ways that did not include powers. But it's not like Nova watches the news anyway, and it's not like Kahless would be on the news either. So Kahless's death-by-explosion really wouldn't be problematic anyway. At least, that's what was probably going through Ingrid's mind at the moment.

Right on cue, Ingrid flicked her fingers and a spark of sizzling electricity formed between them. The energy soon took the shape of a sphere and grew to the size of Mara's fist. A second later, Ingrid bounced the bomb in her right hand until she dropped it at Kahless's feet. The explosive bounced a bit before coming to a rest.

Mara stifled a scream. She sprinted toward the sight and was soon standing in front of Kahless. She raised her booted foot over the bomb and brought it down. The sphere turned to wisps of smoke at her call, and Ingrid was left with a shocked expression.

"What did you just -" Ingrid stuttered.

"I think you just proved your point of untrustworthiness, Ingrid," Mara answered.

"She's right," Kahless seconded.

Narcissa joined them. "Yeah, Ingrid. And this is for my grandfather," she explained as she stepped forward and punched Ingrid hard in the face. Ingrid groaned and clutched her nose as blood trickled down her skin.

"There's more where that came from, so if you give the Renegades one sliver of doubt of Nova's loyalty as a Renegade or you give them one notion of Nova's alter ego you will not see the light of day again," Mara said, every word ringing true. She was playing the villain's game, and she was winning.

Ingrid scowled and a large ball of electricity started forming in her hand. "You will pay for this," she said before Mara reached forward and extinguished the bomb from its place above Ingrid's hand.

"No; you'll pay for this."