Rage of Vendetta (The Vendetta Series #2)

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Look at the buildings!" I gawk and tilting my head up. "They're so high!" 

"Yes," Jesse says, nudging me along so I don't look like a dumbstruck tourist. "That would be why they're called skyscrapers."

"That one is made of glass!" I exclaim, pointing. "Look!"

Jesse ignores me, tugging on my sweater. "We really need to get this dried blood off."

"Street performers!" I squeal, making a move to go see. The race for time is forgotten.

"I don't think so," Jesse says. He grabs onto my arm. "Central Park is that way."

"But-but-" 

"You can see the street performers when we're not running for our lives and running out of time," Jesse says firmly.

"Fine," I sigh.

Central Park is bustling with people. I almost run into a mother pushing her toddler on a pram, and nearly would have if my extra senses hadn't kicked in.

"Sorry!" I wince.

She gives me a nasty look, and pushes the pram away.

"That probably could have gone better," Jesse remarks. "At least you didn't cause anything fatal."

I give the side-eye, muttering, "Shut up."

Jesse nods over to the side. “It’s Rat Rock."

"Huh?"

I turn to see him gesturing at a pile of protruding boulders.  

“Look at the top," Jesse adds.

I squint against the sunlight, seeing two figures standing on the rock like they had conquered Mount Everest. 

"Courtney and Vee!" I exclaim. "That's fantastic. We don't even have to go looking for them."

Jesse frowns, scrutinizing the rock. "How did they even get up from that side?" 

Vee spots us and waves cheerily. Courtney is unmoving from angling her face toward the direction of the wind, hair billowing back.

"Last one to the top is a rotten egg!" I caw to Jesse. 

"That's not fair!" he says, right on my heel as I break into a run. "Some of us can't fly."

I leap, cackling, and land almost halfway to the top.

"Cheating!" he exclaims.

“Suck it up!”

I’m the first to the top. 

Jesse makes it at least a full minute later, panting his lungs out.

“Cheater,” he wheezes.

“Have you seen Sasha and Eric yet?” I ask Vee. 

She shakes her head, then grimaces as the wind blows her hair into her mouth.

“Ack, gross. And nah, we just got here too. Courtney wanted to try out the wind power.”

Courtney makes a noise of approval.

“What time is it?” Jesse asks, not interesting in seeing how great the wind is for hair volume. He nudges me, noticing I’m not in the same boat.

“A bit past nine,” Vee answers, chewing at her nails. “Should we go around to see if Sasha and Eric are waiting elsewhere?”

“No need,” Jesse says. “I can find Eric, give me a moment.”