The Love Interest, page 28
‘You’re safe now.’ He pulls me into a hug. ‘We’ll get out of this rain. We’ll go and tell Ron that you made it back to the base.’
I lean back so I can see his face. ‘Blaze, it wasn’t the Villains that tried to kill me. It was Ron.’
He studies my face for a moment and then draws me back in. ‘You poor thing.’ His head nestles next to mine. ‘It must have been terrifying. Ron said it was a huge fight, a big mess and you got caught in the crossfire. It was Ron that tried to save you.’
A laugh bursts out of me before I can stop it. Ron always has to be the hero, even when he’s lying to his protégé about the death of his Love Interest. ‘There was no fight.’ My voice is partially muffled by his shoulder. ‘Ron lured me in and tried to kill me, whilst the Secret Ninja watched.’
Blaze’s arms go rigid around me. ‘No. That’s not right.’
I wriggle free. ‘You weren’t there because they didn’t want you to see them kill your Love Interest.’
‘No.’ Blaze shakes his head. ‘You’re confused. The Villains, they confused you.’ He reaches for me again and lays a gentle hand on my shoulder. ‘But you can come back to the right side.’
My heart gives a painful thud. Ron is Blaze’s family, and I am the Love Interest who betrayed him. He’s not going to believe me, but I have to try.
I shrug him off. ‘Ron is planning to draw in powers from miles around. He’s going to steal them from innocent, unsuspecting powered people.’
‘Who are wasting them or misusing them, like the Villains. Registered, law-abiding powered people’s chip – their tag – will protect them.’ Blaze’s voice is still sympathetic. ‘If we go and talk to Ron, he’ll explain, you’ll understand.’
‘It’s theft.’ I wipe the rainwater from my eyes. ‘No, it’s closer to murder. Have you seen how the people who have their power stolen end up?’
‘But that’s just temporary,’ Blaze replies quickly. ‘Ron is going to give the powers to men who have been trained to be heroes. Good men who will do everything they can to be worthy of them.’
‘Temporary?’ How can he be OK with this? He’s talking about stealing powers like it’s the noble duty of the HPA. ‘There’s nothing temporary about it. The people who have their powers stolen are left empty. They are like zombies.’ Blaze blinks at me, confused. ‘How did you get your powers?’ The words of the Villains slip from my mouth, shocking us both. This is a race against time that I need Blaze’s help to win. Confronting him about his powers wasn’t in my plan, but it might be the only way to get through to him. ‘Tell me how you got your powers.’ The rain hammers down as he stares at me, his mouth slightly open. ‘Do you even know her name?’ I ask quietly.
Perhaps there’s still a part of me that believes Blaze could say, ‘This is all a big misunderstanding, my powers are natural and Pari, the Villain, whose name I do know, is actually fine … ’ but that hope fades as he shakes his head. ‘I never asked,’ he whispers. ‘She’s still—She’s still like that?’
‘Empty?’ He winces at the word, so I say it again, louder. ‘She’s still empty. The other Villains found her under a bridge.’
‘I didn’t want to, but my powers … Ron said I was a sure thing. I left my family, I trained for years, but my powers never came …’ Blaze looks desperately at my face. ‘The prophecy was coming and there was no hero. People would have died. You would have died, Jenna.’ He grabs my hands. ‘It was the right thing to do.’
Rain runs off our entwined fingers. The rage surges through me, but I don’t push him away. From the age of ten, Blaze was told he would be a hero and save people. Ron brainwashed him, moulded him into the perfect hero, stuffed him full of someone else’s power and left him with that burden to carry.
The pressure on my fingers increases. ‘It was the right thing to do,’ Blaze repeats, but he doesn’t sound as certain. Maybe he is finally starting to understand what he’s done and what Ron has done to him.
‘Ron gave Trevor Donaldson stolen powers. How was that the right thing to do?’
Blaze swallows. ‘We needed to do that. Trevor was a demonstration for the private buyers. Most of the powers will go to future heroes, but we need enough money to make this all work so some will have to go to people who are … Some will have to go to other people. They’ll be able to buy the weaker powers. It’s a minor concession to the bigger picture.’
‘A minor concession?’ More of Ron’s words coming out of Blaze’s mouth. I shake my head. ‘This is wrong. I know you want to do the right thing, but you’re getting it wrong.’
The confusion in Blaze’s eyes is painful to see.
‘There’s more,’ I push on. ‘If Ron does this, if he tries this power grab, the EV will react. It could tear Nine Trees apart.’
‘You’re lying.’ Blaze’s voice is like a dart to the chest, but I can’t give up on him.
‘This storm will give him the perfect opportunity to try.’
As if on cue a rumble of thunder shakes the air and the rain intensifies.
‘Ron is going to destroy Nine Trees.’ I draw his hands up to my heart. ‘You have to help me.’ He looks at me blankly. I don’t know if he’s hearing me. ‘Blaze, we’re friends, we’re more than friends. You said you loved me.’
‘But you were just pretending.’ His voice is almost too quiet to hear.
‘I wasn’t.’ I tighten my grip as he tries to pull his fingers away. ‘I never wanted to like you; you know that. I never wanted to be your Love Interest, but the Villains came to me after BLAZECON. They told me the HPA were holding my mum captive and that I had to get on to the base to find her in time. Becoming your Love Interest was the only way to save her. I didn’t want to lie to you and I really, really didn’t want to like you. I just wanted to help my mum.’
The rain is falling in thick blobs, creating a sheen of water over the car park. The rest of the world has run inside. Just me and Blaze are left out in the storm.
He blinks the rain out of his eyes. ‘You used me.’ He’s furious and hurt, but so am I.
‘And you’re on the wrong side.’ I drop his hands. ‘I’m going to go and save my town.’
‘I’m not on the wrong side.’ He chases after me as I head towards the car park’s exit. Any minute now, Ron will activate those batteries. He’ll suck away my power, Mum’s power, Megan’s power. He’ll leave us empty.
‘Jenna!’ Blaze grabs my arm. His voice is desperate. ‘We do the right thing; that’s what the HPA do.’
I spin to face him one last time. ‘One side in this fight is stealing powers, the other is trying to save a town. You’re supposed to be a hero. Figure out which is the right one.’
I wrench my arm free and run through the puddles towards the exit.
Blaze blurs in front of me. ‘I can’t let you go.’ His eyes are shining with guilt and confusion, but he’s still choosing the wrong side.
‘I don’t want to hurt you,’ I say. ‘You got those powers the wrong way, but you can still use them to do the right thing.’
Blaze places a hand on my arm. ‘I won’t let them hurt you again.’
The frustration raging through me makes calling the water easier. ‘Neither will I.’
Acting purely on instinct, I raise my hands and the ground water rises to form a shifting sphere behind Blaze. It wraps itself around him before he knows what’s happening. His eyes lock on mine and there’s a flash of panic in them before he squeezes them shut. I’d almost forgotten that he doesn’t like the water.
‘I’m so sorry.’ The water swirls around him and I remember him losing huge bubbles of air when we were waiting out the pigeons. ‘Don’t die.’ It’s breaking my heart, but I keep the water up until Blaze falls to his knees and gently slumps to the side. I release the water immediately and rush to him. My hand shakes as I place it on his chest. Mother Earth, he’s breathing. I could cry, but I don’t have time. I won’t let Blaze stop me from saving Nine Trees. I won’t let anyone. I turn and run.
The look on his face as the water surrounded him has seared itself into my brain. I’ve had my power for a few hours and I’ve already used it to hurt someone that I love. Is this what it means to be a hero?
My Villain boots rub as I sprint out of the council car park and towards the high street. My stomach clenches as I replay my last thoughts.
I’ve had my power for a few hours and I’ve already used it to hurt someone that I love.
Someone that I love.
Love.
Blaze is on the wrong side. He’s made terrible decisions. I just used my power on him, but I love him. The rain hitting my face helps me process. I’m in love with the hero who saved my life. It was what everyone else wanted and it happened too late to cause anything but pain, but it’s my heart and I love him. I love Blaze. It’s not the world’s feeling or the HPA’s, it’s mine.
But it’s painful and pointless. There’s no way he’ll still love me after what I just did to him. Whatever happens next, me and Blaze are finished.
A car rolls up beside me and the window slides down.
‘Jenna.’ It’s my dad. ‘Get in.’
CHAPTER 33
‘Dad?!’ In the turmoil of love, betrayal and brand-new superpowers, my dad pulling up alongside me like he’s giving me a lift home from the pool is almost too surreal to handle.
Our car splashes to a stop and he leans out of the window. The rain soaks the top of his work shirt, but he doesn’t seem to care. He hasn’t been crying. He didn’t think I was dead. He has the same look on his face as when he needs to get us all out of the door on time. Complete focus.
‘Your mum told me what happened. Get in, I’m going to take you to safety.’
I freeze. ‘What?’
‘I didn’t know how to find you and then I saw you from my office window talking with the hero. I thought he’d arrest you.’ He shakes his head and raindrops spray off him. ‘It doesn’t matter. Get in. We’ll get away from the HPA and figure it out from there.’
He talked to Mum.
He doesn’t even sound surprised. Has he been in contact with her this whole time?
‘You knew Mum was with the Villains.’ There’s a flash from somewhere over the sea. The storm is intensifying, but right now all I can focus on is Dad.
‘There’s a lot we need to talk about. Get in the car, Jenna, and I can take you to safety, just like her.’
‘You took her away.’ My voice sounds like it’s coming from far away, or long ago. ‘You knew where she was. What she was doing. All this time.’
‘Jenna, please—’
‘No!’
Somehow the rain is falling harder. I step back into a puddle as Dad swings his door open. ‘You need to get in. I’ll look after you now. You’ve done enough.’
‘I’m not coming with you.’ Ten years of hurt pour into my words. I breathe out, two, three, four, and try to get a grip on myself. ‘I need to go.’
‘Jenna.’ Dad’s voice is strangled. ‘We did our best. We wanted to protect you and your sister.’
A decade of heartache threatens to tear me down and I can’t let it. Don’t think about the morning that you woke to find Mum gone. Don’t think about the evenings you spent waiting for her to come back. Don’t think about the questions that you were afraid to ask your dad. Think about Nine Trees. Another, louder, rumble of thunder cracks above us.
‘Get in the car, Jen-bear, please.’
‘No.’ My voice is calm again. The rain is dampening my rage and bringing clarity with it. This might be the last time I see my dad. When the lighthouse crashed into the sea I thought of him, carrying me on his shoulders, taking me into the sea for the first time. Now, I’m going to face Ron again, and I might not survive.
A relieved smile illuminates Dad’s face as I take a step towards the car and my heart sings to see him happy. It turns out, at the end of everything, love is stronger than anger.
‘I’m not going to get in the car, but I forgive you, Dad, and Mum, and I love you. I left Megan on Hidden Beach. She might need a lift.’
For the second time in a matter of minutes, I sprint away from someone I love. The car starts behind me, but I turn up an alley that’s too slim for Dad to follow. The cobbles are slick with rain, but I manage to keep my balance as I cross the high street and come straight out the other side.
It’s so dark that the street lamps have come on, even though it’s only midday. The short road, that leads to what remains of the Culture Complex, glistens under the orange lights. The fast-approaching jagged black struts of the collapsed glass building are illuminated by white flashes. Ron is already there, but so is someone else and it looks like they’re fighting him. I need to help them. I push myself to run harder, but as I approach the signs my heart almost stops.
The HPA have put a fence up around the Culture Complex’s car park.
‘No,’ I mutter. Through the driving rain I can see it’s the flimsy stainless-steel type with a jagged top that will make it almost impossible to climb over. Maybe, if I run hard enough, I can push it over? If it’s well secured, I could break my arm, but I don’t have time to find another way round. There’s someone fighting Ron and I need to reach them before he overpowers them.
My feet pound on the wet concrete, sending shudders up my tired legs. I grit my teeth and increase my speed and … the impact disappears. I’m still moving forward but my feet are hitting something soft and I’m getting higher.
‘Don’t look down,’ I huff. I don’t need to look down to know that my feet are connecting with glistening platforms of rainwater. ‘Don’t think about it.’ Don’t even acknowledge how awesome it is. Don’t do anything that might switch it off. How can my body know so much more about my power than my brain? I push myself higher through the driving rain that continuously lifts me, up and over the fence, before sinking back to the ground on the other side.
Glass crunches under my feet as I move as quietly as I can to the jutting ruins of the Culture Complex. The safest-looking entrance is the fire exit that I ran back through when the first storm hit. The door itself is on the ground now, but somehow the frame is still standing. I gaze at the blackened wood for a long moment. Am I ready to run back into the inferno?
The action is just out of sight, but the sound of blows and yells echo around the broken building. A flash lights up the ruin; the broken struts, the scattered chairs and tables from the restaurant, and the fallen portion of balcony blocking my view of the action. There were ferns on this twisted hunk of metal once. Ferns and books under a clear glass sky. The rain is stopping; the torrent is now little more than a drizzle. Does that mean I’m losing my advantage?
A high-pitched whistle pierces the air and a figure on a hoverboard crashes to the ground on the other side of the fire exit. I leap over a pile of rubble and rush through the door frame to find a Villain curled up on the ground.
‘Femi?’ I crouch next to them. I need to get them up. We’re still out of sight of Ron, but maybe he’s coming. The Villain groans under their helmet. It’s not Femi, it’s Mum. My heart freezes.
‘Mum!’ I get her on to her back and wiggle off her helmet. ‘Mum! Are you OK?’
‘Jenna?’ She’s struggling to speak. ‘No. No, what are you doing here?’
‘I’m going to help. Tell me what I can do.’ There’s no blood, but her eyes aren’t able to focus.
‘No.’ She pushes me weakly away. ‘No. Go.’
Her head drops back.
‘Mum!’ Is she dead? ‘Mum …’ I place a shaking hand on her chest, and she groans and mutters something that might be go back to bed.
‘Sima!’ Femi’s voice floats up from the helmet.
I place it over my head. ‘Femi?’
‘Jenna?! What are you doing there?!’
‘Mum’s been knocked out. Tell me what I should do.’
‘Feck.’ There’s a bang and then a groan. ‘Feck.’ His voice is full of pain. ‘I should be there. I could control him, but my ribs, the crash—’
‘Femi! Tell me what the plan is.’
‘Right. Wait. I’m sending the orb to your mum.’ A silver orb, with a central green light, zips over. ‘Sima was trying to put that on the Ninja.’
I grab the orb and it pulses in my hand. ‘What does it do?’
He takes a sharp intake of breath. ‘She wouldn’t want you going in there.’
My fingers tighten around the glowing ball. ‘The only thing you can control is whether I go in there knowing what this orb does or not. And you’ve got three seconds to make up your mind.’
Femi’s exhale hisses in my ear. ‘It’s for the Secret Ninja. You need to put it on him. Anywhere will do, it just needs to make contact.’
‘Thanks.’ I wrench the helmet off and place it back by Mum, ignoring Femi’s shouts. The orb needs to go on the Ninja. OK, at least I now have an objective. Another crash echoes through the complex and I grit my teeth. It’s time for me to face Ron again. At least this time I know he won’t hesitate to kill me. With a last glance at Mum, I rise and creep around the fallen balcony to peer at the foyer of the Culture Complex.
My eyes go straight to the metal strut that has fallen to run diagonally from the destroyed ceiling to the floor. A vein of blue runs down it and where the strut touches the ground there is a pool of electric-blue EV light the size of a large puddle. I didn’t think EV energy would collect like water, but blue still dribbles down the metal strut, ready for Ron to use.
In front of the EV energy, spreading across the foyer, Ron has set up a circle of battery stacks. He crouches to connect the final stack to a web of cables that leads to a waist-height metal rod in the centre. What was it Mum said? He’ll activate the batteries, use them to pull in powers from miles around and then store them, ready to sell or create his army of obedient heroes.
‘Would you just stop?!’ Emily staggers past, her attention focused on the Secret Ninja. Her helmet is gone. She’s fighting him, but he’s not giving her a chance to use her power. A kick sends her flying, and she rolls to a stop on the blackened floor looking at me. A split second later the Ninja is on her, wrenching her arms back and snapping cuffs on her.
