Secret Super (Book 1)

13. Ice and Fire

Kara's veins froze.

For a second all she could hear was her heart thudding loudly. Cold water pooled around her boots. Her hands tingled with electricity.

A few things happened at the same time.

Superheroes materialized around the entrance, gathering in a tight knot.

Ice-woman lifted her hand and blasted ice at the crowd. Kara grabbed Zadia's hand and yanked them out of the way. Ice smashed into her arm. Her skin was burning and she reflexively reached for a force-field.

Then Xavier was in the middle of it all, striding towards the supers, his hand raised.

"There's no need for this," he shouted. "We can talk this through."

There is no way in the skies that is going to work, Kara thought, her heart racing, but as she watched, Ice-lady seemed to hesitate. Ice stretching from her palms spindled into nothing and shattered on the ground. The supers surrounding her paused, crouched and snarling.

Zadia grabbed Kara's jacket and pulled her back. "Your arm!" she hissed.

Kara looked down. Her arm was encased in solid ice. She blinked.

"We will turn ourselves in," Xavier declared. "Fighting will only result in unnecessary casualties."

"Let's go!" Zadia whisper-shrieked into Kara's ear, yanking at her jacket. "I can't be here! I can't!"

They stumbled back, and the crowd started moving around them, pulling forward. Several people moved towards the supers, surrounding them.

"You!" Ice-lady pointed straight at Kara. Zadia ducked away and ran behind the crowd.

Kara felt ice dripping down her arm, her hands burning with force-field energy.

"Me," she said numbly.

Xavier stepped in front of Ice-lady, blocking her path to Kara. "We can hand her over," he said coolly. "The supers are the supreme law."

The crowd kept edging in on the supers, forming a tight knot.

Kara wanted to scream, but the words stuck in her throat. Sickly dread mounted in her chest. If the Council caught her now, everything she'd ever dreamed of was over. The image froze in her brain, getting kicked out of the Academy, convicted by the Council.

She'd be a supervillain.

Ice-lady faltered again. Some of the supers around her moved forward, but she held up her hand. "Hold."

At that second, the crowd dashed forward and several people plunged what looked like syringes into the supers' arms. Security guards appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the supers by the arms, dragging them back.

Ice-lady blinked, staring at her outstretched hand. Suddenly a scream erupted from her throat. She thrust out her hands, and Kara threw up her arms, flinching, but no ice came crashing down the room. Instead, water dripped from the super's fingers.

Security guards surrounded the supers and dragged writhing, shouting supers through the door, blocking off Kara's sight.

Before Kara could blink, they were out of the room. The crowd trickled back to the center of the room.

Xavier walked away. As if nothing had happened, he said, "Apologies for the interruption. There is no need to worry; this will be taken care of. I promise each and every one of you-- your identity will not be compromised." Light glinted off the metal on his suit. "We will need to enact the evacuation procedure."