Superhero Effects

23. THE NO HOLIDAY PARADE

Lucinda recovered quickly from her rocky encounter. She had kicked it close to Uncle Mack, broke me loose, and then helped me up.

"How do you feel?"

"Shaky," I answered. I was hoarse and had a feeling that was going to linger. "And weak. I don't think I can run."

She ducked under one of my arms, so it was resting on her shoulders, and began to pull me along quickly.

We exited the torture room and began to pass a girl belly down on the ground, out cold. I tried to stop, my eyes wide, but Lucinda wasn't slowing, so my weak feet caught up underneath me. I would have dropped, but Lucinda kept me up.

"Tristan," she growled, casting a glare over at me.

"I think that was Leilani Oakes," I protested, catching my footing as she slowed for me.

"Yep." She wasn't surprised. "I told you not to trust anyone. She's his best Super right now."

I glanced over at her indigent. "Why didn't you tell me that? She's got one of my best friends wrapped around her stupid traitor finger! I've got to call him."

"No," she snapped, "you will not. Tristan, you can't go home. You can't go back to your old life now. Not unless you want to work for Mack. You'll be putting them all in danger."

I felt the color drain from my face, and the lightheadedness increased. My breathing picked up, and Lucinda stopped, reached over, and popped me.

"No passing out," she said as I shook my head.

"Wait, wait," I shut my eyes, letting her drag me along, trying to remember my dear uncle's words over my own screaming, "he was talking about a parade."

"Parade?" Lucinda sounded doubtful.

"Yeah, um...think, think—oh! The No Holiday parade! Ya know, the one Conquer throws every year for no reason, for the people that just like parades. He's supposed to make a guest appearance. I think Roman Tyler is too...wait." I glanced over at her to see her shut her eyes, pained. "Wow. Who isn't a traitor around here?"

"The parade," she pressed.

"Um...yeah, I got nothing else. But something is happening at that parade, Lucinda. Something big. And something bad. We can't run."

"You can't go home," she countered, "neither can I. If we have any hope of gathering the few who are trustworthy and doing something, we need a place to crash."

I managed to smile, my dry lips cracking as I did so. "I know just the place."
***
I had never seen Peggy speechless. Never. But when I knocked on her window as Lucinda hung back, she blinked and stared. First at me, then Lucinda.

"Peggs," I whispered, shivering ferociously. (That was another difference between my sister and me. I could freeze. She couldn't.)

"Are we in danger?" She asked under her breath, leaning towards me.

"I can still hear you," Lucinda called from a few feet away, annoyance coloring her tone.

We looked terrible, I knew. Lucinda had to continually push me out of the way without warning to fight traitor, teen Supers, and I wasn't exactly graceful so each time she shoved me, I fell or stumbled into the wall, further injuring myself. My broken arm was THROBBING, and my voice was nearly gone. We had made it out barely, and then I had, had to do my least favorite thing with my sister: fly.

"You're not in danger. But we are. We need some place to crash. No one will think to come here, Peggy. I know it's asking a lot—"

Peggy shook her head before I could finish. "Stop. Get in here."

I smiled grimly and went forward. Getting through the window proved to be difficult for me. I tried to hoist myself up and swing my leg over, but I was too weak to do the hoisting. Then, when Lucinda came up behind me with a sigh, I shooed her back, saying how I didn't want to get tossed through the window. I tried again, managing to hoist myself, but then I couldn't swing my leg up and over. Peggy tried helping, grabbing the tip of my toe after the third try, all the while my sister stood back watching us tiredly.

Then after losing my balance and falling back into Peggy's bushes, Lucinda stepped forward, cradled me, and tossed me through the window.

Peggy tried to catch me but only ended up falling with me.

Lucinda hopped gracefully through the window as Peggy and I quelled on the floor, turned and shut it, and closed Peggy's curtains.

"What now?" she asked me.

I sat up, cradling my broken arm with a glare. "We have to catch Peggy up."

With a roll of her eyes, Lucinda pulled out Peggy's hand-painted desk chair and plopped down.

Peggy sat up, glancing at me with anticipation and alertness, and I launched into the tale. Lucinda interrupted twice to tell me to stop giving every little detail and give her the rough sketch, but I was an artist; I had to tell the story right. She cut me off a third time and got to the punchline about the lotion and then parade as I glowered.

"The No Holiday parade?" Peggy gasped, covering her mouth. "Aw, man! That's my favorite parade!"

I nodded grimly. "Right?"

Lucinda sighed, pained at the two of us as Peggy went on about how this year was supposed to be the best one yet because they were going to have a float with live performances and how the Spotlight got backstage passes to the thing to do interviews and get some free merchandise.

Lucinda stopped her at that. "Backstage passes?"

Peggy paused. "...yeah?"

"That's perfect!"

Peggy frowned. "It would be...if Leilani hadn't refused to give me the story and assigned another reporter to it."

"Who was the reporter, Peggs?"

Peggy looked over at me, pained. "Aside from Leilani...Archer."

I let out a low whistle. "Awkward, but...let's go see Archer."