Page 56 of Archenemies

Simon grunted and sang under his breath, “Told you so…,” leaving Adrian to wonder what, exactly, he had told Hugh, and for how long his love life, or lack thereof, had been a topic of conversation.

“Fine,” said Hugh. “I’m sorry I said anything. I just… I just hope you know that you can always talk to us.” He smiled awkwardly, like he couldn’t quite believe how much of a dad thing that was to say.

“About anything,” Simon reinforced.

Adrian nodded. Even though suffering through this conversation was about the last thing he wanted to be doing at the moment, he had to admit, it was nice to be reminded that his dads cared about him, even if he didn’t fully believe that he was their top priority like they claimed. Which, usually, was okay with him. They were the world’s greatest superheroes. What did he expect?

“Of course, Dad.” He glanced at Simon. “Pops. I swear, I’m fine. So…” Adrian inched back into the door frame. “Can I go now?”

Hugh huffed and waved a hand at Adrian. “Fine. Return to your solitude. Go make your masterpiece.”

Adrian cast them both a quick salute, then darted into the hallway before they could think of more touchy-feely, father-son stuff to talk about.

He was downstairs again in a heartbeat, digging through a box of old art supplies. A lot of them had been collected by his mom, way back when he was still a kid, first learning to draw. There were broken crayons and paintbrushes with their bristles long ago cemented together and a watercolor set where all the colors had bled together into a murky greenish-brown.

He found the pastels tossed together in a plastic bag. Though many were broken and partly melted, he was overjoyed to see the vast array of colors that greeted him.

Sitting cross-legged in front of the wall, he started to draw a new collection of supplies. A series of quart-size paint cans, each filled with rich, earthy tones and tropical bright hues.

Within minutes, he had the paint cans scattered across the concrete floor, along with a set of brand-new brushes.

He considered the blank walls one more time and began to paint.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

NORMALLY, THE TRAINING HALLSlocated in the sublevels of Renegade HQ were a hive of activity. This was where Renegades practiced running through the various obstacles or tested out new techniques with their powers. But when Nova arrived for the first day of Agent N training, the vast hall buzzed with a strange, nervous hush.

For once, there was no one lifting weights or throwing punches, no one manipulating the giant pool of water or doing cartwheels through flaming hoops, no one traversing zip lines or scaling walls. The entire hall had been reserved for the patrol units who would be working with their new chemical weapon for the first time, and the effect made the hall feel lifeless and ordinary.

Nova’s skin prickled as she made her way along the catwalk that spanned the length of the training floor. She was early, and only a dozen Renegades were waiting by the projectile targets, including Adrian, though there was no sign of Oscar, Ruby, or Danna yet. Adrian was talking to Eclipse, the leader of one of the other patrols.

Nova let out a slow breath.

All morning her mind ticked down the growing list of priorities.

First: damage control. She needed to know what Winston had told him and ensure that her secret was still safe.

After that, her goals were a little more vague. Get close to Adrian. Earn the Council’s trust. Find out more about Agent N. Figure out how to weaponize Agent N against the Renegades.

And of course, above all else… get Ace his helmet. Everything would fall into place, she knew, if only she could restore that helmet to its rightful owner.

As far as she could tell, Adrian Everhart was her best hope. He thought his powers could get into that box. Then Nova would find a way to make it happen. She would not be rejected again. Something had passed between them at the park. She knew she wasn’t imagining the way his breathing had shallowed. The way his gaze had seared into her.

There was still something there. Maybe she had hurt him at the carnival, and maybe all the walls he’d put up these past weeks were a result of her rejection, and maybe it was going to take time and persistence to bring those walls down.

But Nova liked a challenge.

Squaring her shoulders, she started down one of the narrow staircases toward the training area. Adrian glanced up and noticed her. He started to smile, a reflex, she knew. He smiled at everyone.

And yet—

With her focus on Adrian, Nova lost track of how many steps she had taken. She misjudged the last stair and started to fall forward, barely catching herself on the rail.

She jolted upright, cheeks already burning.

Startled, Adrian jogged toward her. “You okay?”

“Fine,” she spat, tugging down the wrists of her uniform. “I’m fine.”

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