Secret Super (Book 1)

3. The Stranger

Kara had gotten into trouble with the Council countless times before.

Once, it was because she had left a boring security-patrol mission to explore the city. Another time, she'd sassed a teacher one too many times.

Usually, all that happened was a suspension from her missions and a stern lecture about the image that the supers had to uphold as guardians of the law.

But then, usually, she didn't pass out during her missions and let three dangerous criminals, two of them supers, escape. So she didn't really know the procedure for those situations. She'd heard the stories, of course; all the trainees had. The latest rumors were of a super who'd gone rogue, trying to run away from the Council, and a trainee who'd exposed classified information about supers to a supervillain and let him escape. Neither of them had ever been heard from again.

Now, as Kara was being led through an office building by a gold-eyed stranger, winding through dim, twisting hallways, all she could think about was if the same thing was going to happen to her. Every time the stranger made another turn, her heart raced faster and the panicked thoughts buzzing around in her head got wilder.

She was just thinking about whether she'd be able to break through the walls of the building with a force-field and make a run for it when the stranger paused.

"Here we are," he said smoothly, striding up to the door at the end of the hallway. He pressed his hand against a blinking blue scanner on the wall. A second later, the scanner beeped, and the door shuddered open with a faint metallic screeching.

Kara took this opportunity to make her case. "It wasn't my fault!" she blurted. "The girl came out of nowhere, and she was invisible- which, by the way, no one told me that the two of the thieves were supers- and I didn't fail completely, I got the money back, and-"

The stranger faced her, raising an eyebrow. A slight smirk played on his lips. "Is that so? Well, it should relieve you to know that I have no idea what you're talking about and I am here for a different purpose entirely." He waved her into the room and flicked on the light. "Apologies for the long walk and the secrecy, but I wanted to speak in private." He flashed her a toothy smile and marched into the room.

Well, at least I'm not about to be murdered. Kara shrugged and followed the man inside.

The room was so tiny and cramped it seemed to press in on her, yet it was almost completely empty. As bare as a Council member's personality, she thought with a snort. Only a table and a few scattered chairs decorated the room.

As she was looking around, she heard the door clang shut.

Great- now her only exit was blocked off. And no windows, either. Only now did it occur to Kara that she had just followed a complete stranger into a strange building, where she was now trapped with him alone. She bit her lip. Harrison had said once that she was too naive, but really, this was ridiculous.

"Xavier Knightley," the man said suddenly, startling her. "Pleasure to meet you." He held out his hand.

Kara didn't take it. "Superheroes don't have last names," she said instead, crossing her arms. Unless he was some sort of very-elite superhero who for some reason been allowed to keep his last name, something was very off here. Who would want to keep their last name, anyway? It was such an archaic system, she probably would have switched to numbers even if she hadn't been assigned one.

Xavier chuckled, withdrawing his hand. "Yes, that's true. Fortunately, I'm not a superhero, though I am a super."

Fortunately? Kara glanced sideways at the closed door. This had definitely been a bad idea. She'd heard of undocumented supers- supers who'd escaped the Academy, or whose parents had hid their superpowers when they manifested- but she'd never met one in person. Quietly, she drew off her gloves and tucked them into her pocket, just in case she would need to use her powers.