IT'S SUMMERRRRRRRRRRRRR! My last exams were yesterday! I'm now officially a senior and I have celebrated by finishing this chapter. So enjoy ;)
"I won't hesitate or I'll crash and burn and fade. Fly away with me, you've got just what I need, will you be my rocket?" –Rocket, Mae
"Where to next?" Ellie asked, as they made the fourth turn down a very curvy back road that lead to Dakota Union High School.
"It's up… this last hill…" Richie panted from the exertion. Even Virgil was breaking a sweat, ever since he had become Static he'd grown very accustomed to just flying across the city on his saucer. A walk all the way across Dakota used to be cake for him. He couldn't help but feel jealousy at Ellie, the walk was certainly cake for her! She was skipping ahead of them and giggling at their painful attempts to keep up. Often throwing jabs like, 'Come on, we don't want to be out ALL night' or 'Hurry it up, slow pokes'. She made it to the top of the hill before sitting down criss-crossed and waiting for the two boys to catch up.
"Well she's… just… full of energy… isn't she?" Virgil said in between breaths.
"Yeah… she doesn't let up… I don't think she's lost her breath even once." Richie agreed. They finally both let out a long gasp as they reached the top of the hill and collapsed next to Ellie. She laughed as they made no attempt to get back up.
"You kids and your automobiles… they make you lazy." Ellie grinned and then added, "Maybe you guys should go out for Cross Country with me."
"Yeah, I'll have to think about that…" Virgil said sarcastically. Ellie grabbed his hand and pulled him up to his feet.
"Up ya go," she stated, and then bent back down to force Richie to stand as well, "We just need to go down this lil' ol' hill," she said motioning to the steep slope ascending into abysmal darkness cast by the shadows of the night sky, "and then we're there!" she decreed happily and leaped forward. Virgil checked his watch before ending his break.
"Well its 11:30, I really hope my pop's hasn't noticed my absence." Virgil sighed as he began to follow Ellie down the sidewalk. Richie nodded in agreement at Virgil's statement. The two managed to keep up at Ellie's pace since they were now going downhill and gravity was working with them. When they reached the bottom Virgil excitedly took the lead.
"So let me be the first to introduce you to Dakota Union Hi…" Virgil froze as he turned around to see the wild scene behind him. The school parking lot was littered with cars, loud music, plastic cups, and over a hundred buzzed teenagers. A black truck had a keg resting on its flat bed, where a bunch of kids had gathered. The group of three remained undetected from the party, and Virgil turned back around. "I swear to you, school is never this… entertaining."
"Yeah, I'm used to this kind of vandalism on school property. I'm from New York, remember?" Ellie could recall countless times when she had come to school and seen it TP'd or covered in graffiti. "But, I gotta say I don't think a Sunday Tour is the best idea right now." she admitted.
"Agreed." Richie nodded and they began to retreat. A loud girlish scream erupted from not too far away from them, making them all turn around once more. It was easy to detect the source. Frieda had been the one who screamed, Francis Stone had been the cause. His strong hand gripped her skinny forearm and he violently tossed her to the ground.
"Frieda!" Virgil yelled and ran forward. Richie and Ellie were right behind him as he quickly pulled the brunette to her feet.
"You still gonna go to the cops?" Hotstreak questioned.
"Yes!" Frieda stated angrily as she placed her hands on her hips. Virgil sighed; he should have known Frieda's feisty nature would get her in to trouble here.
"Frieda! Don't make him mad!" Virgil growled under his breath, making sure Hotstreak couldn't hear him, "I'll make sure it gets taken care of." But Hotstreak was still angry at Frieda's first attempt to get the police to break up their party, and the fact his least favorite person in the world had just shown up was doing nothing good for his temper.
"Well if it isn't the goody two shoe squad?" Hotstreak questioned his hand ignited into flames, "Goren, Hawkins, Foley and… well I don't believe I know you." Hotstreak closed his fiery hand and approached Ellie his eyes roamed over her clothes, "Name's Hotstreak. You here to check out the party babe?"
"Uh… no." Ellie shook her head as she backed up slightly.
"Wanna dance?" Hotstreak persisted only moving closer to her. Ellie switched tactics and took the offense.
"Not on your life, Hotshot." Ellie stated, sort of surprised at herself. She tried to stay out of trouble when she was out of costume. After all only Velocity was immune to Malcolm's authority, anything that Ellie did, such as detentions or fights, was enough to deserve retribution. Hotstreak flared up again, angry at being denied. His left hand, which also occupied a red plastic cup, closed into a fist and the pressure made beer spill over the front of Ellie's shirt.
"It's Hotstreak!" he corrected furiously his eyes blazing.
"Let's get out of here." Richie suggested as he grabbed Ellie before Hotstreak could do anymore damage. Virgil had to use all his strength to pull Frieda away. Hotstreak took a menacing step forward but was then distracted as another keg was brought out. When they were out of eyeshot of the party Frieda stamped her foot angrily.
"OH! He makes me SO mad! Why do they have to go out of the way to make school even more unpleasant?!" Frieda fumed.
"Some welcome that was." Ellie said while tugging at her pastel blouse repeatedly to try and air dry her shirt.
"I'm sorry Ellie, let's start heading back…" Virgil started to stay before a loud crash erupted in the direction of the school. Virgil craned his neck to see Shiv and Talon terrorizing the public for the second time that Sunday, but this time they were accompanied by Ebon. Richie and Ellie both looked over as well, when Virgil caught Richie's eye and began to fake stomach pains.
"OHHHHWWWIEEEE!" Virgil bellowed incoherently, "I'm gonna… I gotta… bathroom!" he shouted and ran off.
"Virgil!" Frieda called after him. Ellie apprehensively backed away from Frieda and Richie.
"Hey Richie, why don't you wait for Virgil? I'm just going to try and find a payphone to see if I can convince my dad to pick us all up." Ellie sputtered out and began a soft jog in the opposite direction.
"Yeah… I'm going to see what the action is about, see you tomorrow Frieda." Richie motioned back in the direction of the school and he also ran off leaving Frieda alone in the middle of the street. The brunette's hands moved to her hips in a confused manner as if realizing something bigger was going over her head.
"Has everyone lost their…" she started before Static zoomed over her head on his low flying disc, "…minds?" she finished with a squeak, but before she could let out a sigh a flash of yellow almost blew her right off her feet. She quickly regained her balance and let out a low grumble, "I hate this city."
Static kept to the shadows and landed next to where Richie was hiding in the bushes. The two teenage boys stayed low and surveyed the damage the meta-breed was now causing. Most of the kids, who were wanna-be punks, had fled the crime scene at the sight of the intimidating shadow. But the most reputable mischief makers stayed to prove the worthiness to the criminals. "How the hell did Ebon escape from maximum lockdown?" Static questioned irritated. Richie shrugged.
"Go after Ebon first, he's the most dangerous. You'll burn off most your energy but at least he'll be out of the way. Then go after Shiv and Talon." Richie whispered.
"Is that the best plan of action ya got Blondie?" Velocity questioned from behind them making them both jump. Static's eyes narrowed angrily.
"Don't you have anything better to do?" Static growled.
"Your plan's got a few flaws, sugar," Velocity ignored the electric hero's protest and proceeded to correct Richie, "If he goes after Ebon first it will leave him feeling pretty drained, so while he half-heartedly fights Shiv and Talon, Ebon slowly regains his strength and manages to escape before the cops arrive. And not to mention the fact Hotstreak isn't even added in as a factor."
"For someone who's only been here a day you're quite informed." Richie observed.
"I was filled in by some sources." Velocity stated vaguely, she flipped her hair and gave Richie a smile, "Dare I suggest an alternative plan?"
"Be my guest." Richie rolled his eyes.
"It's pretty simple… you focus everything on Ebon, I'll take care of everyone else." She offered, Static crossed his arms annoyed at her over confidence… and that said A LOT coming from him.
"Yeah right… you'd just make a muck of everything and then I'd have to clean it up. I don't need a sidekick, so why don't you take that super speed and head back to New York?" Static stated.
"Alright, well… that's the plan I'm executing. I guess you don't have to follow it, but if you don't want to totally fail then go take on Ebon." Velocity remarked, she turned back to Richie, "And you should get home cupcake, this is a dangerous place for people without powers." She winked and clicked her tongue as she mimicked a gun with her fingers before speeding off right into the middle of the school parking lot. She ran extra fast and used one foot to spring herself off a brick wall. She flew through the air like a rocket and high enough into the air so she could grab on to Talon's legs. Talon attempted to try and sustain the additional weight by flapping her wings as hard as she could. But the effort was useless and she went sailing down to the ground, she groaned and strained to get back up. Talon had taken most of the fall, so Velocity was quick to get back up on her feet. She hit Shiv with enough speed and force to send him flailing into an open dumpster. She quickly ran over and slammed the lid shut. But she jumped in surprise as a purple ray of electricity molded itself around the metal twisting it around and holding the lid tightly in place. Static gave her a small amused smirk at her mini panic attack. Velocity rolled her eyes, she wouldn't be startled again. But she quickly contradicted that thought as a fireball whizzed right passed her ear and she let out a small gasp realizing she had forgotten Hotstreak.
Static was having his own problems. The parking lot was dark; the school had never paid for the lights to be fixed after some punks had ruined them. The headlights from everyone's cars had brightened the place for the party, but now everyone was gone. And it was almost abysmal. Not to mention the fact fighting Ebon in the dark was like trying to find a needle in a hay stack. Static had his hands braced with glowing electricity with a creepy feeling crawling up his neck. He spun around as he heard the evil cackle from the shadow echo all around him. He felt uneasy like the shadow was circling him. Static ducked as Hotstreak's collateral damage was sent his way. He even surprised himself by wondering if Velocity was doing okay.
Velocity was NOT okay. Hotstreak had started a new tactic in their fight. It drained up most of his energy but he melted the asphalt all around him so Velocity couldn't get a running start. She slipped on the gooey substance every time she attempted to run. She couldn't win a hand to hand fight with him; he was a lot stronger than her.
"What's the matter Speedy? Can't take the heat?" Hotstreak questioned as Velocity came to a frustrated stop right outside his circle of melted substance.
"You're the one too afraid to face me on even terms Hotshot." Velocity grinned, knowing if she could get him enraged enough he'd leave his protective circle. He did indeed flare up, his hands ignited in flames as he shot them out at Velocity.
"It's Hotstreak!" he stated angrily for the second time that night. Velocity easily ducked the blaze and sped around the outside of the circle. Hotstreak desperately tried to keep his eyes on the yellow figure, eager to hit her with the flames.
"Did I say Hotshot? I meant Burnout." Velocity taunted from behind him. Hotstreak whipped around and chucked a fireball but she was gone before it had a chance to hit.
"Stay STILL you little…" Hotstreak growled.
"What's the matter? Is the baby afraid to leave his crib?" Velocity said in a singsong voice.
"SHUT UP!" Hotstreak sent another fireball sailing right past her. Velocity was starting to get irritated, she thought it'd be easier to separate him from his protection (A/N: that's what she said.) but he was stubbornly clinging to his plan. She hoped Static was doing better than she was.
Static was just as bad as Velocity. Ebon wasn't fighting like he usually did. Usually he'd taunt, but instead he kept silent so Static couldn't find him and he kept getting in cheap shots. He had even managed to knock Static off his disc. 'Why can't the city pay for the stupid parking lot lights to be fixed?' Static thought miserably. Then the idea hit him. Static looked all around at the street lights surrounding the parking lot. He sent a wave of electricity through each one of them, they shined ten times brighter then they ever had before. Every inch of the entire parking lot was illuminated. It was TOO bright. Ebon hissed in pain at the amount of light. And even Hotstreak and Velocity both had to pause and shield their faces from the light as well. And of course, since the situation had been handled and this is America, the sirens from the cop cars sounded and they finally showed up. Velocity turned her head and Hotstreak finally launched a ball of fire that successfully hit her square in the stomach. She fell on her back and Hotstreak ran in the opposite direction away from the cops. Static turned his head at the sight of the yellow clad hero crumpled on the ground. Ebon took the moment to slither away into the shadows and escape the authorities as well. Static sighed in defeat when he turned back to find his culprit missing. He sighed in defeat and stood over Velocity extending his hand. She looked up weakly and groaned.
"Please tell me you don't have a buzzer on your hand and this some sort of weak prank." She said. Static rolled his eyes and grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet.
"Hotstreak didn't hurt you too bad, did he?" Static asked. Velocity tilted her head and looked at him with a smile on her face.
"Are you concerned for lil ol' me?" she asked.
"Just wondering if I need to call an ambulance for my favorite rookie." Static said. Velocity's lips thinned and the smile turned into a smirk.
"It's nothing I can't handle." Velocity stated with a shrug and walked away, she paused and turned around, "and just for the record, I've been at this longer than you."
"And yet you're still the rookie!" Static called after her as she sped off. It was unlike Velocity to let someone else have the last jeer, but she hated to admit she was concerned about the burn given to her by Hotstreak. She ran into the small bathroom in the McDonalds she had changed in. She was lucky to see no one had taken her backpack that she had carefully tucked away in a corner. She soaked some paper towels in cold water and pressed it against her stomach. She applied pressure and changed into her street clothes. Then she ran back for the street corner where she had split up from Richie and Virgil. She caught sight of Richie sitting on the corner impatiently tapping his foot. Ellie slowed her pace to a normal jog. She had to admit, her curiosity was building when it came to the blond boy. Why had he been talking to Static about a game plan? Were they partners? How did he fit into everything? They were all questions she wanted answers to. But to get the answers, she'd have to get closer to him. So she took a seat next to him.
"Did you get a hold of him?" Richie asked.
"Get a hold of who?" Ellie questioned.
"Your dad…" he reminded her.
"Oh! My dad! Um no… I mean, I tried… he didn't answer." She lied. Richie looked over curiously at her suspicious behavior, but Virgil ended up being the subject change as he ran on over.
"Man… that was some bad chicken! Sharon's cooking has hit an all time low." Virgil stated as he checked his watch, "We better get going home."
"Yeah, we're going to have to catch a bus, come on." Richie stated and the three headed for the closest bus stop.
Ellie entered the foyer of her home and tossed the backpack to the floor. She looked up at the clock, which read 2:30. She groaned and hoped her father hadn't decided to wait up for her. She groaned again when she that the kitchen light was indeed on. She walked in and relaxed when she realized it was only Peter. He was wearing a black T-shirt and red plaid pajama pants, his hair was ruffled and his eyes were red and heavy.
"Pete, what's the matter?" Ellie asked with concern in her voice.
"Can't sleep." He answered tiredly.
"Bad dream?" she asked. He rubbed his hair.
"No… just a lot on my mind." Peter said.
"Do you wanna unload?" Ellie sat down next to him.
"No, I…" Peter froze, his eyes narrowed suspiciously, he grabbed Ellie's wrist and pulled her arm close to his face, before Ellie could open her mouth to question his odd behavior, he took a big whiff of her scent and growled, "Ellie! You reek of alcohol!" Ellie, sniffed her shirt and realized he was right. The shirt was still damp from Hotstreak.
"Oh yeah… some idiot spilled it on me." She assured him.
"Oh sure! I believe that! I heard on the news about that underage drinking party at the school!"
"Well yeah, I was there, but I realized it wasn't my crowd so I started to leave but the Meta-Breed crashed it so I had to…"
"Save it! What the hell were you thinking? You're fifteen!" Peter fumed. Ellie was surprised at how angry he was. He could usually care less about his sister's actions. Peter was naturally really relaxed and it took a great deal to set of his temper.
"What's your glitch?" Ellie asked, "I didn't do anything… you're seriously overreacting."
"I'm not overreacting! Have you ever considered the fact that it's slightly hypocritical for someone who goes around punishing low lives, to be hanging out with them too?" Peter snarled. Now, Ellie was angry.
"Have you ever considered the fact that it's slightly hypocritical for you to be lecturing me about this when you've had your share of underage drinking parties?" Ellie yelled. Peter leered at her, and Ellie noticed his fist clenched. She took a moment to wonder if he would hit her or not. He noted the fear in her eyes and he relaxed his hand.
"I'm going to bed…" he grumbled.
"Pete…" Ellie called quietly.
"Screw off, El." Pete said.
SO Static's warming up to Velocity a teeny tiny bit :)
And Ellie's SUPER curious about Richie's relation to Static.
And there is a reason for Peter's totally out of character anger, I'll explain it later.
And I'd like to thank everybody who reviewed, you flatter me :) *blushes and looks away all girly like*
And… HAPPY SUMMER!