Hero's Revenge (Keepers of Justice, Book 2) (17 page)

A man and woman were making breakfast in the kitchen. I recognize them as my real parents. My mother laughed as my dad wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck. Then they kissed.

I was a baby,
sitting in my high chair at the kitchen table. Munching on my cereal, I giggled as I watched them.

My mother’s eyes moved to me
and she bent down toward me. “Jericho.” She pressed her cheek to mine. “You love watching mommy and daddy kiss, don’t you?”

All I did was giggle some more. My mother laughed and kissed my cheek.

“Annie,” my father said, his head raised toward the light. They flickered.

My mother trembled.
I kept my gaze on the two of them as they whispered frantically. A minute later, the door flew open and a woman dressed in a red and orange mask and uniform stepped inside.

Vlayne.

Even as a baby, I knew something terrible was going on. But I didn’t make a sound. Only watched.

“You did this to him!” she roared, stomping over to where my parents were wrapped in each other’s arms.

“No, Vlayne, listen—”

“I’m done listening to you!”

ShadowBlades entered the house and destroyed the lab with fire, ice, lasers, and explosives. My parents were yelling, trying to reason with her, but Vlayne wouldn’t listen. When everything was decimated, the Blades rushed out.

“Please,” my mother said
. “I have—”

But before my mother could finish her sentence, Vlayne pried my parents apart, shoving my father to the floor and
narrowing her eyes at him. She was using her telepathy to kill him. A second later, he started yelling and writhing, clutching his head.

My mother
shouted words I couldn’t understand.

When my father was no longer moving, Vlayne’s head snapped to my mother, who was backing up, only to hit the
wall behind her.

“Vlayne, please—”

Vlayne stood over my mother. My mom’s gaze flitted to me before moving to Vlayne. Vlayne’s eyes narrowed. Her lips pressed together. My mom slumped to the floor.

I had been crying during this, but
Vlayne didn’t seem to hear me, or was too preoccupied to care. As the house grew quiet, my cries permeated throughout, causing Vlayne’s gaze to dart to me. She marched over to the table, her eyes dark and possessed. Ready to kill me next.

She stared at me for a while,
her forehead wrinkled as though she were fighting an inner battle. After a minute, she blinked, stared at me for a little longer, and withdrew from the table.

She
stormed out of the house, leaving me screeching with no one to comfort me.

The memory ends here. I swallow hard. I just witnessed my parents’ murder. It’s not something I want to remember, and I understand why I repressed it. I can’t believe I was there and
saw the whole thing.

I stare at the floor
, my body trembling. Sweat breaks out on my forehead, and I swipe it away.

Cindy touches my arm. “Are you okay?”

I nod, even though I’m not.

Despite how difficult this is, I need to trudge on. For Kale’s sake.

Taking a deep breath, I walk into the next room, where the memory continues.

Scar rushed into my house and looked around. Devastation and grief entered his eyes as he took in the unconscious bodies.

“Sebastian,” my mother said, her voice weak as she stretched her hand to reach up to him. He fell to his knees and took her into his arms. I could see him scanning her thoughts to learn what happened.

Next
is everything Scar told me. My mom asked him to take the formula. He refused. She begged him to hide it in my head. He finally agreed.

The memory ends with her death
and Scar crying over her with me in his arms.
I’ll take care of him
, he promised.
I’ll watch over Jericho
.

I look at Cindy, who’s standing beside me. She peers into the next room and her eyes widen. I follow her gaze into a large
, white room with only one thing floating in the center.

A chemical formula.

Cindy and I exchange a glance before we rush inside. We move closer, until we’re only a few feet away. Suddenly, something shoots out and slams into Cindy, latching onto her chest, electrocuting her. Her body quivers and she crashes to the floor. The formula is now surrounded by what look like tentacles. They’re scaly and green, about twenty feet long, and they whip around.

I dash over to
her. “Cindy?” I whisper. Her body doesn’t seem to be burned and as I press my fingers to her wrist, I feel her pulse.

She’s not dead.

Her body moves as she squints up at me. “Ray, I can’t go any further.” She tries to sit up, and I help her, but she’s too weak. “This is where you release the formula,” she explains. “You need to kill those things and reveal it. Only you can do it.”

I stare at the tentacles. Electricity runs across them.

Cindy touches my arm. “They won’t attack you.”

I don’t know how to kill them, but I’ll die trying. I nod to Cindy. “I’ll do it.”

“Thank you,” she whispers. “For everything.”

I shake my head. “It’s me who should be thanking you for everything you and Samson have done for me.”

She smiles a little, patting my hand.

I get to my feet and head toward the tentacles. They move around as I get closer, but they don’t attack me. Raising my hands, I try to force them away to
expose the formula, but they’re too strong and throw me a few feet back.

Cindy said I need to kill them. I search around for a weapon, but can’t find any. I need a sword, or knife. But where do I…?

The guy with the knife from my memories. I go to Cindy, who’s resting against the wall. “Cindy, I need to get something from another room. You’re going to be okay here?”

She nods. “As long as I don’t get too close to those things, they shouldn’t hurt me.”

I nod. “I’ll be quick.”

The last thing I want to do is walk through the dark hallway, but I need to get this knife. It’s the only
thing sharp enough to slice through the tentacles.

As I return to the shadowy hall, yells and wind
s attack me, but I push all that away and focus on locating the room with the memory I need. Luckily, I remember clearly which doors we opened and I find it faster than I thought.

As
the guy with the knife raises the blade to kill, I leap forward and grab it out of his hand. An identical knife appears and he stabs the other guy.

Watching it another time isn’t any easier. I turn my head and dart away before I see
him grab my terrified eleven-year-old self.

I scurry toward the locked do
or, through the rooms, and enter the large one. Cindy glances at the knife in my hand.

“Be careful,” she tells me.

I nod.

I head toward the center of the room, lift the knife, and slash one of the tentacles. It lets out a small shriek before shriveling up and dropping to the floor. A bright glow from the formula nearly blinds me. Shielding my
face with my arm, I work on cutting through the other tentacles. One by one, they fall to the floor until the entire formula is revealed.

With my eyes burning due to the light, I gawk at the chemical formula. It looks like something
from an organic chemistry book. I don’t understand any of it, but something glimmers inside me. Hope.

Footsteps are behind me. I turn around and find Cindy ambling toward me, beaming. “You did it.”

I run over to help her, and we move closer to the formula.

“That’s really impressive,” she says, her gaze roving around it.

I nod as another thing shines inside me. Pride, I think. That my mother created this. She may be dead, but if not for her we wouldn’t have this today and would have no means to save my best friend.

“What do we do now?” I ask.

“Nothing. The formula is no longer hidden. I need to get out of here, take it from your mind and place it in Brain’s. Hopefully he’ll be able to recreate the antidote.”

I nod again.

“We’d better hurry,” Cindy says. “The formula is exposed now. Any telepath can grab it. Even though Scar’s protecting your mind, I don’t want to take that chance.” She pulls me into her arms. “You did great, Ray.”

“Couldn’t have done it without you.”

She smiles and we walk out of the room.

A day has passed since Cindy dug the formula from my mind and handed it to Brain, the League’s head scientist. He and the other scientists have been working on it all this time. I’m not sure what they’re doing, exactly, but I saw them extract tissues from Kale’s body and Healer’s. From what I read on their lips, they want to use Healer’s healing ability to accelerate the regeneration of Kale’s cells, because it could normally take weeks.

I’m on my bed, keeping my gaze on them
like that will speed up the creation of the cure.

I can’t look into Kale’s
hospital room. His parents and Lindsay are in there, hands clasped and heads lowered. I sat with them for a bit before escaping to my room.

I know I shouldn’t, and I know it’s ridiculous, but my eyes wander to Stealth’s room. Everything is as it was the last time she occupied it. Bed is unmade. Clothes and books scatter the floor. It’s as if no one want
s to touch it for fear they’d get contaminated with villain-ness.

After all this and everything I’ve been through, my heart still cries for her.

As I glance around the Tower, I notice the lab empty. Scanning the elevators, I see the scientists on their way to the hospital. Brain carries the vial that contains the antidote.

I bolt from my bed, out the door, and down the stairs. I don’t have time to wait for the elevator.

A minute and a half later, I rush into Kale’s room, just as Brain and the others hand the antidote to Healer.

Samson’s worried eyes are pasted
on it. Cindy squeezes his hand. “Are you sure you’ve succeeded?” he asks.

Brain nods. “It’s a difficult formula, but yes, I believe we’ve succeeded.”

“Thank you,” Cindy says. She strokes the side of Samson’s face. “I have faith in Ray’s mother and I have faith in our scientists.”

“As do I. Our scientists are the brightest people I know. But…” He stops talking as he gazes at Kale. His eyes fill up. “What if we kill him?”

Cindy’s fill up, too. “What if we save him?” She pulls her husband into her arms. Whispers something. I read her lips. “…nothing to lose.”

Samson nods and stands up. “Alright,” he says to Healer. “Administer the antidote.”

He bends to Kale and kisses his forehead. Leaves his lips there for a bit before nodding once more to Healer and stepping out of the room. In the halls, he paces, running his hand through his hair.

Cindy asks everyone else to exit the room, too. We obey, Lindsay giving
me a small, encouraging smile.

I lean my back against the wall and watch what’s going on in Kale’s room. Healer pumps the antidote into a syringe. She and Cindy exchange a look before Cindy nods for her to insert the needle into Kale’s arm. Once she does, the machines surround
ing his bed beep. A few flicker.

Samson’s pacing quickens and
he mutters to himself.

Please
, I beg no one.
Let this work
.

Cindy’s hands fly to her mouth as the machines
quiet down. She then looks at Kale, who’s moving his head around on the pillow. A second later, his eyes spring open.

Cindy gasps.

I turn to Samson. His eyes are dead locked on me, waiting for an update. I nod, and he rushes inside. Throws his arms over Cindy as she hugs Kale close.

It worked. He’s alive. Exhaling a breath I didn’t know I was holding, I slide down the wall and bury my face in my hands.

We saved him.

A hand rests on my shoulder. “Ray,” Cindy says. I don’t know how long I’ve been sitting here like this. “Kale wants to see you.”

I follow her into the hospital, where Samson and some others are crowded around his bed, talking, laughing. Lindsay is clutching Kale’s hand tightly as her eyes sparkle. When Kale sees me, he smiles, waving me over. He doesn’t look tired, which is most likely due to Healer. “Hey.”

I push through the crowd. “Hey. How are you feeling?”

“Good.” He touches the side of his head. “No more pain.”

I’m so glad to hear that. “Is your telepathy gone?”

“Nope.” He beams. “My mom told me everything. Well, I read most of it.” He chuckles. “Thanks, man. I wouldn’t be here if not for you.”

I wave my hand.

“I’m serious,” Kale says. “Thanks.”

“You’re my best friend.”

He lowers his eyes to the bed. I bet he’s thinking what I’m thinking—that we couldn’t save Stretch the way I saved him. I know I can’t wallow in the past. I know I need to get over it, and I slowly am. I just need to have these feelings of sadness, grief, and bloodlust in me. It’s the only way to make sure Stretch’s death is avenged.

“X,” Kale says.
“I’m sorry I lied to you about the headaches. I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t want to tell anyone. I mean, I finally got a power and I didn’t want to lose it.”

“I get it, but you
’ve got to take care of yourself.”

He nods. “I will. I’m sorry.” He laughs a little. “My parents are probably gonna yell at me.”

“Yeah. You really scared us.”

“I know.”

Quiet.

“
Hey, um. What happened to Stealth…?” He shuts his mouth as his eyebrows furrow. He’s reading me, discovering the truth behind the fake girl we trusted. “Wait a minute.” His mouth hangs open. “Stealth is
Vlayne’s daughter
?”

I don’t say anything a
s he continues to read me.

“Holy crap.
All this time? She tricked us. Tricked me. I was so sure we could trust her. Wow.” He reads more, his eyes narrowing. His mouth opens, then closes. “Dude, you were adopted? Scar—”

My
eyes snap to him. It’s too painful to relive.

“Sorry!” h
e says. “So that’s what Vlayne wants? The antidote? Not to kill my parents or anything?”

“That’s what it seems.”
It’s in the League’s possession now. What will she do if she finds out?

A few more League mates head to Kale to congratulate him on his recovery, and I’m slowly pushed away.
They’re all talking loudly, happy that everything is back to normal. Maybe for them. Nothing will be normal for me again.

X
, Kale says.
Maybe we can hang out later and play or talk or whatever.

I nod.
See you later
.

I slip through the exit and head to my room.

***

Kale and I are seated side by side in the Game Room with our controllers in our hands, but we’re not playing. I let Kale scan my thoughts
some more. It’s easier than to tell him about my past and what Scar told me.

“Wow,” he says each time he learns a new detail of my life. “Scar
was friends with your mother?” He leans back and scrunches his nose. “It’s weird, isn’t it?”

I turn to him.

“To hear about Vlayne and Scar’s pasts,” he continues. “That Vlayne has the ability to love and that Scar has a soft side.”

I shrug. “I’m not too surprised with Scar. It’s rare to see emotion from him, but I’ve seen it. The way he cares about
his family in the sewers. He’d do anything for them.”

Kale twists his lips. “Yeah, I guess.
His family is like all he cares about.”

“It’s all he’s got.”

“Yeah, after losing the only friend he had…” Kale stops talking and turns to me. “Sorry.”

I don’t say anything as I finger the controls.

“Do you miss her?” Kale asks.

“I barely knew my mom.” But I feel like a whole chunk of my heart is missing. I’ll never get it back.

“Stealth, I mean.”

I don’t look at him.

“Sorry. Dumb question,” he says. “Obviously you do…”

“I don’t really want to talk about it.”

“Right.”

He starts up the game and we play in silence. I’m off, causing my guy to die a bit too many times. I try to push Stealth out of my head, but it doesn’t work, which is the reason I’m sucking.

From the way Kale’s playing, it’s hard to imagine he just woke up from a coma.

I don’t know what I would have done if he died.