Sunny Daze (9 page)

“Yes, sir.”

“Aren’t they Central?  What are they doing all the way down here?”

“I don’t know, sir.  According to the twins they were… swimming?”

“Hmm.  Find out first and then get rid of them.”  He pauses.  “Send Shadowman, I pay him too much just to let him sit around doing nothing.”

“He reads a lot of comics,” Hal offers.

“Exactly.”

You know how I felt guilty earlier, just for scaring Cubby?  Well, it’s a million times worse right now.  I’ve returned to the nearest town and things are in shambles.  There are houses with caved-in roofs, fallen street lamps and trees, and panicking people hiding in strange places, certain that the earthquake is going to come back.  What do I tell them?  “Sorry about that, I was wrestling with a buddy of mine and I lost a bit of control”?

At least I’m not wearing my SVSC t-shirt.  I’m going to have to wash it first--wait, no, that’s not what I meant to think.  Right now I’m just a normal teen--I head over to this group of people trying to pull a tree off of a house and grab it, pulling it off for them.  For a second I think everything’s fine, and then I notice that everyone is staring at me.  Probably because I’m still holding the massive tree up when they’d planned to drop it on the ground, huh? 

“Um--it’s not as heavy as it looks,” I say, letting the tree drop.  “Is everyone okay?  You know, in the house?”  They turn--well, half of the group does, and head inside to check out if there’s anyone injured.  The other half is staring at me.

“Nice hair,” an older man offers, staring at my tell-tale streak of white in the bangs.  It’s exactly like my father’s.  Crap, should have thought of that.

“Thanks,” I say before turning and jogging away.  That was way too close.  I should go back to camp… I can’t.  Look, this is MY fault--all this destruction, all the worry--it’s all because I wanted to show Max up in a stupid fight!  I can’t let them suffer because I was stupid!  My weekends are spent working my butt off trying to help farms, which in turn helps people--THESE people!  Or at least people like these!

I have to help.  I don’t have any choice, really, not when it’s like this.  But I can’t help and show my face at the same time.  I look around and duck down an alley, thinking quickly.  There’s got to be some store that’s got cloth I can use for a mask, right?  Or… I look down at my shirt, letting out a sigh and reaching for the hem.  I can always make a mask, right?

“I should have known,” a drawling voice says from overhead.  I look up with a sense of dread, letting out a heavy sigh as I see Century floating over my head.  He’s got his arms crossed over his chest and that look on his face--the one that says “I’m extremely disappointed in you right now.”

“Hi, Century,” I say, lifting a hand. “Do you know where I can get a mask?”

“What for?”

“Because I’ve got a lot of cleaning up to do,” I say, letting out a sigh.  “This is my fault--I was wrestling with Max and he tried to get me to try harder--and… I’m sorry.  But even I know that’s not enough to solve anything, so I want to help with what I can,” I say.  “I might be the kid in the group, and short, but that doesn’t mean I can’t pick up a bit of rubble.”

“You created an earthquake while roughhousing, son.  That’s not the work of a little kid,” Century tells me.  He reaches into his cape and pulls out a simple black mask.  “Here, if you’re going to work, do it properly.”

“So I have permission from South Hall?” I ask.

“You have permission--but don’t go giving yourself some fancy name.  You haven’t had your debut, yet.”

“I don’t plan on ever debuting,” I say.  “I’m going to work in the forests and jungles of the world.  You know, after I’ve graduated and everything.”

“Really,” he says, his tone showing he doesn’t believe me.

“Me and Adanna--Pan’s daughter, we’ve got it all planned out,” I say as I try to get the mask to stick.  It’s harder than it looks.  I blink as he lands in front of me, taking the mask away and putting it on properly.  “We’re going to save the big cats of the world and the Rain Forest, too.  I never… I never planned on doing something like this.”

“Fine, go on, then.  I’ll tell the crew that you’re here to do grunt work.”  I nod, taking a step back only to jerk as my phone rings.  I pull it out of my pocket, looking guiltily at Mom’s picture.

I am SO grounded when I get back that it’s not even funny.

***

“So…” Panther says as he looks over the four boys left at the campsite.  He notices that there’s a strip of metal through the center of the area, and signs of patchwork repairs that hadn’t been there before.  “Where’s Sunny?”

The three older boys look at each other before pointedly looking at the woman standing next to him.  “Who’s she?” Jack asks.  “And why is she wearing that weird strip over her shoulders?”

“That’s what boyscouts wear, right?” Ace asks.  “Like for their badges.”

“We get badges?” Jack asks him.

“Well, technically these could be CALLED badges,” Max says, pulling one of the little metal pieces out of his pocket and flashing it.

“That’s a fake one,” Ace says.  “I switched it out for this one,” he tells the other boy, holding up a badge just like it.

“We’re getting off subject,” Jack says as Max grabs the one Ace is holding and pockets it.  “Who are you?” he demands of Skystep.

“This is Skystep,” Pan says, inwardly sighing.  Alone, each of the boys is a decent super villain.  Together they form more of an ‘evil three stooges’ thing.  “She’s going to be joining us as an assistant camp leader--” he holds up a hand as the woman starts to protest.  “She’s a fully established villain in these parts, and has been for several years.  She’s also in charge of arts and crafts.”  What?  HE didn’t want to do it!

“Arts and crafts?” Ace asks, perking up.  “Can I get my sketchbook out of the RV for that?”

“Of course!” Skystep says.  Pan looks over at her, just watching as she goes into “artist” mode.  He can actually see her embracing her new role, he thinks with amazement.  “Does anyone have anything else they want to show me?”

Max and Jack look at each other, the same slightly baffled expressions on their faces.  Max shrugs, turning to Pan rather than replying.  “Sunny ran off after the earthquake.  He said he needed some time alone.  I think he freaked himself out a bit.”

“I see,” Pan says.  “I’ll go find him.”  He moves closer to Max, leaning over to whisper silently.  “Keep her occupied.  Find out if she knows anything about Kunnins.  She’s utterly crazy, so it might take a bit of work.”

There’s only a tiny twitch of Max’s lips in response to that.  “You,” Skystep says, appearing right in front of Max, “you look like an artist!”

“Um, well--” he says, looking around, “I hate to admit it, but I’m not very artistically inclined.”

“Come on, Max, you’re just being modest!  His stick figures are the best,” Jack taunts him, grinning evilly.

“And you?  What art do you do?” Skystep asks, turning on Jack.

“Metal sculptures,” Jack says, perfectly straight-faced.  “If y’got it, flaunt it, right?”  Now, Pan thinks as he watches her start bullying the boys about art, to see how they keep up their real camp duties while dealing with her--after he gets Sunny back, that is. 

He heads into the RV, glancing over at Ace, who’s digging through the extra supplies.  “I don’t promise she knows anything about art,” he says quietly, “so don’t get your hopes up.”

“But--” Ace says.  After a thoughtful moment he shrugs. “Neither does the art teacher at our school,” he admits, shrugging.

“Keep an eye on Cubby for me, would you?” Pan asks, pulling out a t-shirt and a pair of jeans to change into.  “Of the three left, you’re the second one I would trust with my boy.”

“Pan--” Ace starts out, only to stop as Pan pulls on a pair of sunglasses.

“What?”

“When you get back--um--well, Jack found something before he fixed the crack.  But Sunny comes first, right?”

“Right.”  Pan steps outside, staring blankly at a gigantic metal sculpture in the middle of the clearing.  It’s a massive corkscrew looking piece made out of metal stolen from various bases.

“And what do you call it?” Skystep says in a fake snooty accent, standing next to Jack.

“I call it…” Jack starts out, only to stop as Cubby races to the top of the abstract looking slide and goes down it with a happy laugh, “Cubby’s playground?” Jack offers a bit stupidly.

“Wonderful!” Skystep says, clapping happily.  “I want to try it!” she adds, jumping to the top of the statue.

“Good job,” Pan says, patting Jack on the back before racing away.

A few moments later, Max steps over next to Jack, a scowl on his face.  “Did anyone get the chance to tell him what we found?”

“Don’t think so,” Jack says.

“Make a swing, next!  We need a swing!” Skystep yells from the top of the slide.

“I think we should check it out ourselves, tonight,” Max says.

“Yeah.”

***

“Look, Adanna, I--” I say, speaking into the ear attachment that goes with my phone.  Dad has this habit of building strange things without thinking, right?  So I figured all I really need to do is leave my phone out where he can find it regularly and I get free stuff to go with it!  It works really well, too.  This little earpiece can be switched from phone calls to the school com link and back with just a single word.  Right now, though, I look like I’m mouthing something.  But even with the sound of all the people working around me, Adanna can hear my heartbeat over this thing.  “I messed up.”

“Yes, you did,” she says.  My girlfriend is so compassionate.  “Sunny, what were you thinking?  You’re surrounded by trees--like you’ve always planned on being--and you knock them down?”

“I didn’t mean to knock them down,” I say, feeling frustrated because I know she’s right.  “I wish you’d been here.  You would have slapped me upside the head before it got that far.  Are you sure you can’t come down here for the camp?”

“I’ve already resigned my spot as Cub, Sunny,” she says with a sigh.  “You know that.  If the other super villains hear about me going to a camp for villains, it’ll make them question my resolve.  Both your father and Papa know most of them.  Word gets out.”

“Yeah, okay, just use the whole logic thing on me,” I complain.  You’re probably wondering what I’m doing, huh?  Well since I’m wearing a mask, people keep waving at me to come over and pick up massive pieces of concrete and metal so they can check for victims.  Every time I pick up something I feel a little sick to my stomach and mentally start praying that we won’t find any dead bodies.  If I accidentally killed someone I don’t know what will happen to me.  Not to mention the very idea of being a murderer makes me feel like throwing up.  Yet I still keep running whenever someone waves to me, repeating the morbid process.  No wonder I’m talking to my girlfriend, huh?

“I’ll use logic on you, because obviously you don’t use it, yourself,” she says irritably.  “Where was Papa when this happened?”

“He’s sniffing around for something,” I say, picking up a fallen sign for the next person.  “I think he’s trying to get information.  I mean, he never said anything about bringing us all the way down here when the idea first came up, right?”

“True.”

“And why, of all places, in a forest that’s so close to South Hall?  That’s dangerous, right?  Century was on the panel that stuck him doing community service, right?”

“Yeah, he wanted to burn the uniform after he was finished, but Mama wouldn’t let him,” Adanna says.  “We’ve got it in the basement, in a special display case.  It’s funny, because every time he walks past it he winces.”

“You and your mama are mean,” I have to point out.

“It’s how we show love.  Sunny--” she starts out, only to stop.  I let the silence last a few seconds too long.

“What?” I ask.

“I… I’ve been thinking…” she says slowly.

“If you’re going to dump me, can it happen AFTER I make sure I’m not an accidental killer?  I really don’t think I can handle the stress,” I tell her bluntly.

“Dump you?” she asks blankly.  “No, it’s not that--why would I dump you?” she asks abruptly.  “Have you been flirting with those Texan girls?”

“No!” I say, accidentally speaking too loudly.  I reach up, touching my ear.  “Sorry, I’m just on the com with someone,” I tell them as I haul up another fallen tree.  For a moment my heart hurts as I pick up on the last traces of life flowing through it.  I feel a little like a murderer, even without finding human bodies, I realize a bit abruptly.  “Sorry, tree,” I whisper, laying it down gently.

I hear Adanna sigh, but she doesn’t tease me for talking to the tree.  I appreciate that fact.  “I think you need to be careful,” she says.  For a moment I think she’s gone back to the original topic, but she goes one, “those Texan girls are cunning.  They’ll just use you for your pretty face and break your heart.  That would make you used goods.”

“Used goods?” I repeat incredulously.  “What am I, an Ebay item?”

“Do you prefer the term ‘secondhand’?” she asks.

“I’m neither used nor secondhand!” I protest, trying not to laugh.  Sometimes she says the weirdest things.  She’s even funnier in cat form, actually.  “And don’t you DARE say the word refurbished,” I add sharply.

“No, because that indicates someone fixed you up,” she says.

“Look, I will not go falling for a Texan girl,” I say, picking up yet another lamppost.  “Most of this trip is going to be spent with BOYS, remember?”