Rise of the Dark Heroes (BOOK #1)

PART THREE

DERRICK

BETWEEN BLINDING flashes of lights, I witnessed my father plunging to his death, pieces of glass falling near him, horror and shock painted on his face. As I lay on the couch, eyes squeezed shut, I could read his emotions in the middle of the strobing lights. The realization that he was about to die was haunting. He just wasn't ready. In a fraction of a second, I took his life. This was his way of punishing me. As if I hadn't suffered enough in life.

I always wondered how my life would be if my father were still alive. Maybe I would be the one six feet under. Perhaps I wouldn't have met Jerry and grown as strong as I am now.

I jolted awake as I heard frantic knocking on my door. After rubbing my eyes and stretching, I sluggishly got off the couch. Jerry was upstairs in his father's office, so I doubted he heard the incessant thumping of wood below him. I wasn't going to interrupt his work, so I took it upon myself to address the person at the door.

Stevie stood on the other side in a buttoned-up denim jacket and leggings. Her long hair framed her sweaty, hollow face. Tears stained her rosy cheeks, leading me to the conclusion that this wasn't an average friendly visit. I wasn't expecting her. We weren't supposed to meet up again until tomorrow night.

Once I opened my mouth to speak, Stevie flung herself at me, wrapping her arms tightly around my abdomen and crying into my shirt. I lost my balance at the sudden force hitting me but caught myself by clutching the door frame. I awkwardly placed my other hand on her back.

"Um, hello..." I said, blinking in bewilderment.

"I don't want to be a Deviate anymore," Stevie cried. She choked on her sobs as she struggled to inhale. Her hold on me tightened, then I found myself fighting for air.

"Can't breathe, Bean," I gasped. I hated hugging with a passion, she was aware of this, but I didn't have the heart to tell her to release me. It seemed as if she had gone through something awful. If only I could have gotten a breath in to ask her.

Stevie only loosened her grip a fraction, yet I remained uncomfortable in her embrace. I gently pulled her away and exhaled sharply. "Come on."

Before all the warm air escaped the house, I closed the door and thenled Stevie to the kitchen, where I made her a glass of water. She nearly gulped it down desperately. Judging by the state of her hair and flushing of her cheeks, I guessed she had parched herself running here.

"All right, calmly tell me what's wrong." I leaned against the island and crossed my arms.

Stevie tensely tapped her fingers on the glass. "Control is slipping by the day," she said quietly.

"You mean your powers?" I asked. Stevie's body lit up the kitchen after I said it. She glanced at her blue skin with a frown. It was all the answers I needed. "I guess your night wasn't as relaxing as mine."

Stevie slowly shook her head.

"What happened?"

I carefully listened as she told me about her night. Her friend turned her away because she found out her powers, and that jerk she had told me about nearly jeopardized her secret. I could imagine the stress she was going through. The feeling of defenselessness in the people around you, terrified of what they'll do if they knew. Will they run? Treat you like some kind of criminal, throw things, attack you? If Adam had succeeded, only God knows what her classmates would have done to her.

"I'm sorry," I told her.

Stevie sat at the island and burrowed her head in her skinny arms, then remained that way. I realized all too well the sight of someone pondering over their life, sincerely wishing that there was some way to mend it instead of confronting it. It seemed like forever until she unearthed herself like a turtle coming out of its shell. "I didn't ask for this," she uttered.