We Got Powers Too Sample
Chapter 1
Atina
They were going to kill us. I knew that as sure as I knew my own name. “Go!” James screamed. He wanted me to leave him. James was the only friend I had in the entire world. At six-feet, his tall frame loomed over my five-foot-six one, his brown skin only a shade lighter than my own.
“Atina, you need to get out of here.” His eyes shot up the alleyway, trying to make sure I had a clear path. “I’ll distract them while you run.”
What the…? Now he knew it wasn’t going down like that. We never left each other behind, ever. I raised a hand in the air. “Or we could just fuck ‘em up.”
The footsteps behind us grew closer, and we both pumped our legs harder, trying to get away. Cold wind bit into my skin, turning my bones to ice, but it didn’t matter. If we stopped, we died. I kept going.
We’d been making a money run for a guy we occasionally worked for named Heyjay. It’d taken Heyjay years to trust us with this much responsibility. Until now, that trust had never been misplaced.
The money count had never come up short. This time had been no different. We’d done as we were told and delivered the money to Roland, someone who did a lot of business with Heyjay.
We never left Heyjay’s place of business before the money was counted in full. We always made sure every cent was counted in front of us. That way, we could verify the amount. Only this time, it’d come up short by three hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
Heyjay had counted the money in front of us, then we’d left his place on our way to Roland’s. Neither of us had opened the bags.
When we’d gotten to Roland’s, he’d counted the money in front of us. Three hundred and fifty thousand had been missing, but we hadn’t opened the bags between Heyjay’s and Roland’s. I was stumped at how the money had disappeared and I too wanted answers.
We’d tried to explain that, but Roland wouldn’t listen. His men had thrown us against the wall and pointed guns at our heads. Heyjay had called Roland and told him the count was short. Now Heyjay had men after us too.
The thing was, we’d verified the amount we were carrying. Then, we’d told Roland that exact figure.
That way, if the count came up short, the logical conclusion was we’d messed with the money. We hadn’t, but there was no way to prove it.
“Here they are!” a voice shouted, and my stomach dropped. They were close, too close. I could almost feel them breathing down my neck.
Those who stole from Roland or Heyjay never lived to tell about it. An example had to be made so others wouldn’t try it. They couldn’t let this go. They’d deal with us in the cruelest way possible. I already knew that.
To be honest, I was baffled. Neither of us had messed with the money, so how had it disappeared?
Money didn’t just vanish into thin air, unless… I stopped, my heart playing hopscotch in my chest. “What if there’s another one? Someone like you and me?”
I’d never met anyone with powers like James and myself. We’d been the only two for years. What did it mean if another person had powers like us?
James grabbed me by the arm to keep me moving. “There might be another, but we stay alive by never exposing ourselves. If people found out… Just think about what would happen.”
I nodded, shivering at the thought. The old bowling alley was in front of us. We ran that way. I thought we’d escape around the side, but Heyjay and his crew were already there, blocking our path.
We couldn’t go forward, so we turned, aiming to go back the way we’d come. The color drained from my face. Roland and his four guys stood in our way.
My heart went to my throat, a light sheen of sweat covering my face. It was freezing cold out here, but my body temperature had risen several degrees. Running for one’s life will do that to you.
We were trapped, but I refused to surrender. I needed to think fast.
We couldn’t use our powers, not in front of this many people. An image of us being carted off to some secret government lab flashed before my eyes. My stomach revolted in protest. I couldn’t let that happen.
I held up my hands and walked forward a few steps. I wasn’t surrendering, but they didn’t know that. They’re guns moved when I moved, pointing straight at my head.
I took a deep breath, licking sweat from my lips. “Look, think about it. Why would we deliver the money, knowing we’d already taken a cut? How stupid is that?”
James came to stand in front of me, arms wide, like he was protecting me from harm. He’d been doing that since we were kids, and I loved him for it. I wasn’t alone in the world. That meant something. At least one person had my back, just like I had his. Always. Only this time it wouldn’t end like we wanted it to.
James couldn’t shield me from bullets, no more than I could him. They’d tear through us both, relentlessly. In the end, we both knew it was useless, but we had to try.
James turned to Heyjay. Heyjay was a tall man in his mid-thirties. He stood about six-feet-three. His skin was a light brown, his eyes a deep hazel.
His body was built like a brick wall and every time I saw him, I thought of that one football player that couldn’t be taken down. His shoulders alone were enough to knock you out his way.
Heyjay shook his head, a sneer on his face. “Street trash like you. Who knows what you’re thinking?”
I risked a quick glance at Roland. He and Heyjay were complete opposites. Heyjay was tall. Roland stood five-feet-eight. While Heyjay had black bushy hair going down his back, Roland wore a close cut. Unlike Heyjay’s brown skin, Roland’s skin was very pale, even in the summer months. Heyjay was huge, Roland was more of a medium weight.
Also, Roland was the most serious-minded person I’d ever met. Everything was business with him. Everything.
His eyes stayed on us, watching every move we made. His gaze was direct, penetrating. Fear leaped to my throat and spread to the rest of my body. I gulped, my skin crawling like it had a million bugs on it.
His gaze was haunting. I took a few steps back, unable to stop myself.
“All I want is my money,” Roland said, jaw tight. “Tell me where you put it and me and my guys are gone. Heyjay can deal with you however he likes.”
I bit my bottom lip, my eyes roaming frantically around the alleyway. What had happened to the money between Heyjay’s and Roland’s place? I needed to think fast because our lives depended on it. At this point though, even if the money did magically reappear, Heyjay wouldn’t forgive what he saw as a direct betrayal against him. He’d still make an example of us. That’s how vicious he was.
“Look if we—” I started, then stopped. A new figure came around the corner, catching my attention.
He was a tall white guy, no more than nineteen or twenty. He was dressed in all black with shaggy black hair and a purposeful walk. To be honest, he scored a perfect ten on the emo scale.
He turned, and when those deep brown eyes met mine, something inside me shifted. A magnetic charge went down my spine. Who was he? I felt a pull, a tug toward him, and I didn’t understand why.
He narrowed his eyes when he saw us but walked right past Heyjay and his men. Perhaps he hadn’t seen the high-powered weapons in their hands.
Heyjay turned to stare at him. Great! A distraction! While they watched emo dude, I used my powers to take on the properties of the wall behind me.
My hand turned to red brick, just like the wall. Once the brick was in my control, I could bend it to my will, make it do anything I wanted. I used bits and pieces of the brick. I threw them into the eyes of Heyjay and one of his men.
Their hands went to their faces. Good… Now maybe… Before I could think of my next move, Heyjay and his men turned their guns on each other. I gasped, confused. What were they doing?
Roland and his men looked at each other, trying to figure out what was happening.
James wasted no time. He picked up two rocks and used his power of transformation to turn them into knives.
James’ eyes flashed silver. Both our eyes did that when we were about to lose control. We figured it had something to do with our powers.
James gripped the knives tightly in his hands. He threw one and hit Roland in the shoulder. Roland’s body jerked, his eyes widening.
The other knife hit one of Roland’s men, knocking him back.
Roland launched toward James then stopped. He swung his gun around and pointed it at one of his men. The rest of his crew did the same, pointing their guns at each other instead of at us.
“What the…?” before I could finish that sentence, emo guy had grabbed myself and James. I vaguely remembered the feeling of my powers being drained. I also remembered blending into the brick building behind us. After that, I was falling, with nothing but complete darkness to keep me company.