Starlight (Book 1)

27: In Which Everything Goes Perfectly for a Few Minutes

The darkness collided with the glass, blinding me. My whole body stood planted into the ground like a tree during a hurricane. I could sense the standstill—the mounting pressure, which left the fear prickling down my neck.

All the sound filling the world succumbed to the void, and the only thing left was my distorted reflection in the glass, split halfway between darkness and light.

Before the lightning could flash, and before a single protest could break the clash, everything reversed. In the flutter of a heartbeat, which could be barely considered a second, the attack bounced off the surface of my weapon.

Phantom hit the ground like a rag doll, his own shadows clawing at his skin. Tearing him apart.

Next to me, I saw Spark for the first time. He and Diamond held their ground against one-another; I guessed a blast of electricity had hit her, since she twitched slightly before regaining her balance.

"Metal is a wonderful conductor, Diamond," he said sweetly, as though he was a teacher reminding his incompetent students.

Her lips pressed into a firm line. "I can be a beacon for your little lightning shows, and you still can't hit me."

With a toss of her hands, Diamond threw a nearby telephone pole, launching it towards Spark like an arrow. He reeled back, ducking behind the truck that had carried us here.

Just as I thought about Echo and Mirage, I spotted them fending off Phantom, who had since picked himself off the ground and entered the fight again.

I found my way over to the truck, meeting a confused Diamond.

"Goddamn it, I'm going to kill him," she threatened, stalking over to me.

I smiled sweetly—trusting my instincts—and told her, "He disappeared over that way." And pointed her back towards a cluster of buildings still unharmed by the destruction.

She grinned and headed towards where I'd pointed.
The instant she'd receded, I truly tested my luck and quietly called, "Riley?"

"To your left," his voice replied, and I turned, not knowing what to expect. On one hand, he didn't sound angry—but then I saw his face.

His arms were crossed, and even though the mask covered most of his face, I could still see his evident frown and warning glare.

I wasn't thinking about how Onyx Spark was going to chew me out while standing behind the cover of a breakfast restaurant and hiding from the hero actively seeking to destroy him. I wasn't even thinking about what would happen if Diamond found us.

I was thinking about how catastrophically I'd messed everything up.

"There are a lot of things I could say to you right now," he started, his tone stern and even. "I could tell you that I'm disappointed in you. I could tell you why I'm angry that you snuck out despite the consequences. And I'm not going to let this go. We are going to talk about it, but I am in no position for that right now."

I gulped. He was right, and I knew he was right. I couldn't shake the feeling that my reason for standing where I was, at that instant—all of it was just dumb luck. I finally had my shot at being a hero, but without Jax and Orion—the things that made my life bearable.

"I'm sorry," I said, and Riley managed a smile, lifting my spirits only a little.

"So, here's the plan. I need you to get the other girls to get Phantom into fleeing. That way I can follow him all the way to his base, or at least try to get some leads on where he's keeping your friend."

He held his hand out and pulled me into a hug. "But once he's gone, you promise me you're going straight back to Grace's."

I wasn't in any position to argue. I hugged him back with my free hand, the other still gripping onto my weapon, and whispered, "I promise."