The Rise of Renegade X (36 page)

I give her a thumbs-up without breaking from Kat.

“Is that a yes or a no?”

“Kat!” Jessica shouts, and then laughs like it’s the funniest thing in the world.

“Maybe you two should give it a breather,” Helen says, in a tone that says by “maybe” she means “definitely.”

“Come on, Helen,” Gordon says, coming up behind her and taking Jessica. “Let the boy have his fun. You’re only young once.”

Helen shoots Gordon a look, like she plans on murdering him later but doesn’t want to say so in public. I can tell the last thing she wants is to let me “have my fun.” Maybe she’s the type who thinks teenagers shouldn’t be allowed to date until they’re thirty, but considering how she reacted when I told her about my supposedly kissing “Joe,” I think her getting so pissed off has more to do with who my partner is. Maybe bringing Bart the Blacksmith’s granddaughter to our family outing wasn’t the best idea in the world, but I love Kat, and Helen’s going to have to get used to it.

“You wouldn’t say that if you’d seen them yesterday,” Helen says. “I caught them
timing
it. With a stopwatch.”

I pause long enough to explain. “We were going for the world record.”

“But we were nowhere near it,” Kat adds, disappointed.

Helen sighs. “We’ll be at the food court if you decide you’re hungry. Otherwise, meet us in half an hour in front of the eel exhibit.” She calls for Amelia and Alex to hurry up.

Gordon ruffles my hair. He sounds extra friendly when he says, “Have fun, kid,” possibly to make up for how sour Helen’s being.

“Hey, Dad?”

He looks over his shoulder.

“Are people staring at us?”

He glances around. “No more than usual. You’re going to have to try harder.”

“Aw, nuts.” I snap my fingers.

Gordon’s laughter fades as he hurries to join the others. I go back to kissing Kat.

Things pick up and we get some good mutters from people walking by. An old lady calls us “obscene.” I’m beginning to think we should have brought the stopwatch when my phone rings.

“Don’t answer it,” Kat mumbles. She puts her hands on my face, holding me to her.

“Sorry, Katfish. Duty calls.” I answer it. It’s Sarah. “I thought I told you never to call me here.”

“Renegade, did you see the paper this morning?” she screams.

“You know I don’t read anything before noon.”

“There’s been a series of robberies all across town. The police can’t figure out the connection, but it’s
so
obvious they’re going after items owned by the Mad Baroness. It’s so infuriating! I know where they’re going to strike tonight. Not only are they going after Mad Baroness collectibles, but they’re doing it in this spiral pattern. We have to be there.”

“Got it.”

Silence. Then, “So get down here!”

“I’m a very busy man, Sarah. I can’t drop everything every time somebody needs me.”

“Psh
. I know what
you’re
busy doing, and this is more important. Besides, I’ve got a new weapon for you to try out.”

“As a matter of fact, I’m on a family outing. It’s very important. Do not disturb and all that.”

“How is your family outing ‘do not disturb’? Fine. I guess I’ll go walk Heraldo.”

“I’ll be there in two hours.” I hang up.

Kate takes my phone and turns it off. “So you’re mine for two hours, huh?” She locks her arms around my waist.

“I’m partial to telling all the sharks they’re not as cool as they think they are, and that it’s people like them who bankrupt the tooth fairy and don’t leave any tooth money for the rest of us. Or we can make out some more. I’m planning on moaning, ‘Oh, Salty! You bad sea demon!’ next time. Just so you’re prepared.”

Kat grins. “Who says we can’t do both?”

“I knew I loved you.” I lean in and kiss her. And then a shark swims by and I shake my fist at it and ask it where all my quarters are.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I’d like to thank my awesome agent, Holly Root, for using the L-word and swooping in to save the day at exactly the right moment. I’d also like to thank Greg, Elizabeth, and all the other wonderful people at Egmont for believing in this story and making the magic happen. Without them, this book wouldn’t be the physical entity you hold in your hands, and would still be intangible words on my computer screen—and if that’s not magic, I don’t know what is.

As for everyone else, putting up with a struggling writer is no easy task, but supporting and encouraging them for years on end? I’m pretty sure that puts you in the running for sainthood, which is why all these people get my most heartfelt thanks: Chloe and my family, for supporting the hell out of me, even when things looked their darkest; the writing group, for making Friday nights at the Black Drop my favorite part of the week; Dianissima and the rest of the Latin crew, for listening to more about writing than they ever wanted to know; and everyone down at The Pat’s, for taking me in when I needed it, teaching me Dianglish, and bestowing upon me the wisdom of Misty the Sphynk, a great oracle who definitely knows all.

CHELSEA M. CAMPBELL

grew up in the Pacific Northwest, where it rains a lot. And then rains some more. She finished her first novel when she was twelve, sent it out, and promptly got rejected. Since then, she’s earned a degree in Latin and Ancient Greek, become an obsessive knitter and fiber artist, and started a collection of glass grapes.

Besides writing, studying ancient languages, and collecting useless objects, Chelsea is a pop-culture fangirl at heart and can often be found rewatching episodes of
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
, leveling up in World of Warcraft, or spending way too much time on Facebook. You can visit her online at
www.chelseamcampbell.com
.

EGMONT
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First published by Egmont USA, 2010
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New York, NY 10016

Copyright © Chelsea M. Campbell, 2010
All rights reserved

www.egmontusa.com
www.chelseamcampbell.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Campbell, Chelsea M.
The rise of Renegade X / Chelsea M. Campbell.
p. cm.
Summary: Expecting to become a supervillain on his sixteenth birthday, Damien Locke, son of one of Golden City’s most notorious supervillains, is horrified to discover that he may instead be destined to become a superhero.
[1. Superheroes—Fiction. 2. Good and evil—Fiction.
3. Identity—Fiction. 4. Families—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.C150963Ri 2010
[Fic]—dc22
2009041154
eISBN: 978-1-60684-180-8

CPSIA tracking label information:
Random House Production • 1745 Broadway • New York, NY 10019

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher and copyright owner.

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