The instant she and Chester arrived back at the theater, Maggie went off in search of Zoridel. She knew there was a good chance the girl wouldn't be there, since it had only been a couple hours since she'd promised to go out looking for Nova. But Maggie was impatient to talk with her for two reasons—to see how things had gone with Nova, and to see if she could weasel out any information about what exactly had been said to the Renegades about Yasmin.
A quick search of the theater, however, revealed no Zoridel in sight. Maggie entered Eminya's room, half hoping Zoridel was still in there having dumb girly conversations, but she found only Eminya, sprawled out on her cot reading a thick hardcover book.
"Have you seen Zoridel?" Maggie asked.
Eminya looked up and blinked. "Not since this morning," she responded. "I thought she was going out on business for you."
"Yeah," Maggie sighed, half disappointed, half relieved that there was still a chance she'd be getting her bullet back today. "She was. I just had a question for her, that's all."
"You can ask her tonight," Eminya pointed out. "I'm sure she'll be back in time for the meeting."
The meeting… oh! With a jolt, Maggie realized she'd forgotten all about the weekly meeting she was supposed to run in just a few hours. The meeting, the parade, our grand plans to take over the city and become the world's next supervillains… why was it that all of these things she'd worked so hard for over the past three years were starting to seem so much less important these days?
"Right," said Maggie. "Friday night meeting. Our second-to-last one before the parade."
"I can't believe it's coming up so soon," remarked Eminya. "In just a little over a week… we'll be in charge of the city."
We'll be in charge of the city and Max will never speak to me again, Maggie thought, her heart heavy.
"I've been reading up on accounts of governments that ruled before the Age of Anarchy," Eminya explained, gesturing to the book she was holding. "There used to be all kinds of different governmental structures, like presidencies and monarchies and parliaments. I'm trying to figure out what would be the best model for us to use, to ensure that we're able to keep power after our initial attack."
Maggie raised an eyebrow. "I thought we were just going to be the ultimate dictators and rule through fear and forcing people to do whatever we want."
"Is that really what you want the rest of your life to be like? Trying to control a whole population and constantly being an assassination target because everyone hates you? I don't. I just want to show people that 'lesser' powers are still capable of great things and that we deserve to be respected. Then I want to go to college and get a decent job."
Maggie narrowed her eyes. She'd never heard Eminya talk like this before. Was this Zoridel's influence?
Was that necessarily a bad thing?
"I have to go," Maggie said abruptly. If Friday night meeting was going to be taking place in just a few hours, she needed to at least have some income to bring to the table, since she'd made a total of exactly zero dollars in the past week. "I'll see you tonight."
She exited the theater and walked the few blocks to a busier street for the second time that day, glancing around at the people passing by. Her powers buzzed with sensitivity to all kinds of valuable objects, from coins to jewelry to a gold buckle on one woman's fancy handbag, but she found it difficult to tune in to any particular object to attempt lifting it. Maybe she was out of practice, having not done this in over a week. Or maybe it had something to do with Max's voice in her head, saying I always felt kind of bad about them too. You know, because they originally belonged to other people.
Well, you know what? Maggie thought, focusing in on a delicate silver bracelet worn by a middle-aged woman who'd slowed to check a notification on her phone. Some people don't get the luxury of living in a massive house with a stone fountain and wrought-iron gates. Some people have to take things that don't belong to them in order to make a living. With her usual practiced efficiency, she bumped into the woman, uttered a quick "sorry!" and hurried on her way with the bracelet tucked securely in her pocket.
The pocket that should be holding her bullet. What if this bracelet was as important to the woman it belonged to as Maggie's bullet was to her? What if this woman would be just as distressed upon discovering it was missing as Maggie was right now?
It's not, Maggie told herself. There's no way this bracelet turned that woman into a prodigy. If she is attached to it, it's just for dumb sentimental reasons. And if she's smart, she'll figure out that it might be at the pawn shop and come looking for it. Maybe August will let her have a discount if she tells him it was originally hers.
Her excuses were flimsy and she knew it. Still, she continued on her way, halfheartedly searching for other people to steal from before deciding to go straight to the pawn shop. The bracelet would pull in enough to be somewhat reasonable for her weekly income.
August's green eyes pierced her the moment she stepped inside. "Haven't seen you in a while, kid," he greeted her. "Been doing deals with other shops?"
"Would it be any business of yours if I have?" Maggie asked coolly. She stepped up to the counter and placed the bracelet in front of him. "How much for this?"
"Let me see." August picked it up and began examining it, but Maggie's attention was drawn to a peculiar signature emanating from the display case next to the counter. It was the same warm, vibrant, strangely comforting signature she'd perceived from Nova's bracelet and the David Artino bird. It was…
That one. She identified the object, a small, rectangular box of the same coppery hue that David Artino's other objects possessed. Before she knew what she was doing, she was pointing at the item and asking August if she could hold it.
His eyes locked with hers, and just like when she'd shown interest in the bird, she felt his suspicion. This time, however, he remained quiet as he carefully picked up the box and handed it to her.
Warmth. Security. Home. The sensations were immediate and strong, coursing through her body like a torrent of fire. Maggie jumped and nearly dropped the box. What was that? Even the star that had once been in Nova's bracelet hadn't felt quite like this. The star had held immeasurable power, and more intrinsic value than she'd ever felt in any single object—maybe even in many objects combined. But this one… it felt alive. Like it knew her.
She set it down on the counter, slightly spooked. "Where did it come from?" she asked August, trying to keep her voice balanced and neutral.
"Someone brought it in," August replied most unhelpfully.
"What is it?" she asked, even as she cautiously picked it up again and began examining it.
This time, she was prepared for the feelings that surged through her as she held it, so she was able to keep them mostly at bay. She turned the box from side to side, noticing that it was completely smooth on three sides, with what looked like some sort of drawer embedded in the fourth. There was no knob to open it, however, and when she tried to pry it open using her fingernails, she was unsuccessful.
"It won't open," August remarked. "I've tried several times already. My assumption is that the prodigy who made it embedded it in such a way that only a very specific 'key' will open it. And that 'key' could be virtually anything."
Maggie pulled with her mind on the drawer. Usually objects with strong signatures reacted readily to her powers, but this time, the drawer stayed resolutely shut.
Undeterred, she prodded it in different ways with her powers, knowing that it was probably pointless, but unable to shake the feeling that if anyone could open this box, it would be her. This didn't work with the bird, she reminded herself. No matter what I tried, I couldn't get it to do anything. Why would this one be any—
With no warning whatsoever, the drawer compartment sprung open, protruding a good ten centimeters out of the box and revealing a folded piece of white paper. Maggie gawked at it in astonishment. How—? What—?
"Can I help you?" August asked. Maggie looked up, confused, before realizing that he was talking to someone who'd just stepped into the shop.
Her stomach did a jolt.
The person who'd just stepped into the shop was Nova.