Starlight (Book 1)

24: Mabel's Not-So-Polite Suggestion

Everything had officially fallen apart.

Thankfully, Echo helped create a diversion for the countless reporters loitering outside the Discovery Centre with the image of an empty street as we crept past. The last thing I needed was to have cameras shoved in my face, as if the thought that everything was my fault wasn't bad enough.

Though I knew there were people standing there—I'd just seen them, but the trick persisted in my head, gnawing over the possibilities, attempting to convince me otherwise. Once I was sure we were safe, I parted ways with Echo and Mirage.

I watched Mirage create a wave between her hands, slowly forming the water into a rideable surfboard to ride off into the distance.

Once I was certain they'd gone, I crossed the alleyway and found where the Belt was waiting to pick me up and climbed inside.

The next hour turned into a whirlwind; Riley drove us all the way to Jax's apartment, muttering under his breath the whole way about Phantom as I hurried to change into my regular clothes in the backseat using a blanket as a barrier. It was an impossible task, and a lot harder than Orion had made it look. When I first saw my costume, I never thought about layering an outfit underneath. I made a mental note for the next time, and wondered if a hero had ever died of heatstroke.

Turning up to Jax's apartment only made things worse. I'd called the home phone, and relentlessly tried to buzz in through the lobby intercom—all with no luck. I hoped that someone, anyone, would call me back and explain that Jax was just at school, and he was fine, but even as the minutes passed, I'd received no answers.

When we got home, I was trying to coax Peach into joining me on the couch by holding my hands out to pet her.

"The hideout is abandoned," mumbled Riley, after I'd told the whole story for the second time. That was the part that surprised them, but I wasn't fazed—it was just my typical bad luck. "Nobody was there... Phantom doesn't trust me."

Peach hopped onto my lap, bumping her head into my hand. I gently held her, biting my lip and staring at my phone, trying to force it into ringing by drilling into it with my laser-stare.

"Then where is he?" said Kieran. He was sitting next to me, appreciating the fact that Peach liked him now. When we'd come home, he'd been watching the news anchors discussing everything I said.

The girl on the news faced a reporter. She looked confident, though her eyes were darting every which way. She spoke into a microphone invading her personal space, answering a question she felt she could tackle.

"Orion is fine. He hasn't lost the fight," the Starlight on the screen said, wishing that answer was true. Even now, it was hard to believe that it had been me saying those things. I almost felt like we were two different people, and I didn't recognize myself.

Part of me wished I could believe myself. Believe the news. Didn't anyone have any idea how much I wanted my words to be true? How much the reality weighed like a pressure on my chest, slowly piling into me until I suffocated?

"I don't know," whispered Riley. "You have to call Nia and Priya, and tell them—get them to lure Phantom out of his hiding spot."

"Lure him how?" replied Kieran. "You know that tactic never works. Even if Nia tried to fight him, there's no promise that he'd show up."

Huffing, Riley ran a hand through his hair. "We have to try. There aren't any better plans, and we need to do something."

It was at that moment that my phone buzzed. In a lightning-fast movement, I scooped it up before my throat closed over itself.