James Knight: Teenage Superhuman - Book One

Twenty

MIA

Despite his extraordinary abilities, James was quite approachable and endearingly awkward. Mark was right about him, yet it was entertaining to string him along. He was clueless about my intentions, and if he ever relinquished his powers, I was ready and willing to aid him. You can chalk it up to helping a friend. And let's promise never to mention that again.

Max, Mark, and I hatched a plan to break into Sam's lab and retrieve the cure, aiming to give James his wish. We all expected to emerge victorious. At least, that was our plan. Max shuffled restlessly under the bush, his hood covering his face as he accepted a walkie-talkie from my slender hand.

"Do I get to kill him if I spot him?" he grumbled, slipping the walkie-talkie up his sleeve. Mark shook his head and pretended to cough.

"You're not killing anyone. James isn't stupid. He'll figure you out."

His gaze met mine as I nudged Max's left shoulder, allowing him to get going. But, of course, if it had been up to me, I'd have done the job twice as fast.

"I'm off," Max rumbled, emerging from the shrubs as the wind rose, disappearing into the nighttime.

∆∆∆

JAMES

Sam, his cheeks rosy, nervously ran his fingers through his sandy hair. He took a couple of calming breaths and sipped his beer before joining me at the counter.

"James, I apologize. I understand your distaste for powers and regret letting this happen to you. If I could, I would take them back. I mean..." Sam trailed off, his thoughts tumbling over one another. Amid his latest drunken meltdown, Derek and I were there to soothe him.

"Take a deep breath before you hyperventilate, Sam," Derek advised. Sam inhaled profoundly and slumped in his chair. His back straightened as though pulled by an invisible string.

He stuttered, "I-I can't do this. I can't tell you..." but the words never made it out.

"Sam, you need to relax," I muttered, scooping a spoonful of ice cream from the carton and offering it to him. Instead of accepting, Sam chewed on his dry lips. I wish I hadn't cut him off like that. Perhaps he would have confessed the truth to Derek and me.

Suddenly, a loud crash from the basement startled us, and I dropped my spoon, rushing toward the basement steps.

∆∆∆

MAX

"What a joke," I mumbled, sprinting down the basement stairs into Sam's laboratory, as described by Mia.

After a futile search through cabinets and drawers, I growled into the walkie-talkie, "Where's the damn vial?" The floor was a luminescent chaos of broken glass and discarded experiments.

Mia's voice echoed from the walkie-talkie. "It's in a private cabinet above his desk chair." I turned off the device.

Next, I heard footsteps. I sprinted across the room, barely avoiding slipping on spilled experiments. I wrenched open the cabinet, grabbed the vial, and dashed toward the exit.

James was in the doorway, watching as I bolted up the stairs at a blinding speed, my hood concealing my face. I pocketed the vial and ran, fleeing from my crime scene.

∆∆∆

JAMES

Sam had me tidy up the basement after my run-in with a super. I was relieved; I didn't need to fabricate a story about a super stealing a cure and explaining why he stole it. I also hoped Max needed help to understand what the vial contained. Given my luck, he probably did; that was as optimistic as I could be. Derek received a call from the police station, stating they had apprehended a superhuman and needed me, so he drove me there.