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The walk home from Rachel’s was physically uneventful, but my mind was reeling from several blows.
I’d called the ambulance, anonymously, and let them know about Samantha’s body. And even though it was just Samantha, it was impossible for me to act like nothing had happened when I got back to Rachel’s Café. Gwen was appalled as much as worried after hearing the news of an attack, but when I sat down with her at Rachel’s, once more, I found I couldn’t pretend nothing had happened, not even for her.
I barely registered walking into my housing development, still stinging from Gwen’s reaction to my apparent apathy.
I’d managed to score another date with her, at least. We decided not to count this one. She wasn’t very nice about it, though. I knew I had a lot of making up to do with her, but I was just glad she was going to let me. My biggest fear during our conversation was that she wouldn’t be interested in pursuing a relationship anymore.
“Adam, watch where you’re going,” I muttered, reaching for my brother’s hand as he scuttled off into the neighbor’s yard.
“Hammonton.” He pouted and ran off, causing me to curse softly under my breath.
“You know, it’s not like I need this right now,” I called out to him as I began to follow him.
Despite everything, I felt a small smile creep on my face as I crept around the neighbor’s car and Adam scurried around the other way. I jumped out and grabbed him, proclaiming, “Gotcha!”
Adam giggled and twined his arms around my neck.
A rare moment of softness came over me as Adam clung to me. I didn’t always like being an older brother. But when I let him, Adam had a way of reminding me I couldn’t imagine life without him.
I hugged him back and smiled. “Let’s go home, Adam. Come on, we’re almost there.” I looked pointedly up the block to our house.
“Car.”
“Yes, there’s Cheryl’s car,” I agreed. Oh great, that meant she was home. I felt the irritation inside of me prickle once more.
“Car.”
“Yes, I know, Adam.” I sighed.
“Hey! What are you kids doing in my driveway?” I swung around abruptly at the voice.
A man was standing on the porch, looking at us with a stern expression on his face. For some reason, I thought he looked familiar. He was tall, with brown hair, and the black suit almost made me think we had stumbled onto his property just as he was leaving for a dinner date.
“Sorry, sir,” I replied. “I was just getting my brother.”
The man frowned, and a nagging memory in the back of my brain began screaming. I looked around and suddenly recalled this property had been up for sale for some time. Between the shiny car in the driveway and the angry man on the porch, I was able to guess someone had moved in.
I swept a more critical gaze over the car. It was a newer model, pristine and shiny in the cold winter atmosphere. Someone rich had moved in. “We’re leaving.”
The man pulled out a pair of sunglasses and put them on. “All right then.”
Sunglasses? I thought. In the middle of winter? “Sure.”
I hurried back onto the sidewalk, still carrying Adam. I didn’t turn around but I heard the roar of a powerful engine and the squeal of tires, and I knew he was gone. Weird guy, I thought. But then, my family’s housing development had been made for the rich, and that usually meant we had to deal with sleazy salesmen as well as a few eccentrics.
Still, something about that guy made me nervous. I felt like I’d seen him before.
I forgot all my apprehension about the new neighborhood quack when we arrived at the house. I was determined to enter in as quietly as possible; Adam was not.
“Mom,” Adam called out.
“In here,” Cheryl replied semi-automatically from her study. “Hamilton, it’s about time you got home. School ended four hours ago.”
Well, hello to you too, Cheryl, I thought bitterly. “I was held up for a bit.”
Since I was expecting a reprimand, I was surprised when Cheryl said, “I’ve been waiting for you to get home. How was your day?” Before I could formulate a quick, meaningless reply of, “Fine,” to summarize the awful, bitter, loathing resentment I had for my day, she barreled onward. “You’ll never guess what assignment the mayor just gave me.”
“What?” I asked, putting Adam down behind her office desk.
Cheryl’s eyes lit up in excitement. “You’re looking at the prosecutor for the city in the case of Apollo City v. Flying Angels!”
I stared at her, my mind’s cloud of confusion slowly dispersing into pure fear and overwhelming hatred, and not just because she was drinking one of her special sugar-free diet drinks. “Flying Angels?” I repeated slowly, buying time to get my bearings.
“Oh, you know, those silly so-called superheroes running around town. The Wing King and Starlight Knight.”
Resentment was suddenly added to the already confusing mix of my emotions. Couldn’t my mother even get the names right?
She didn’t miss a beat, even as I was tongue-tied. “We’re going to hold them up on charges of city-wide endangerment and terrorism. Thank goodness for the Patriot Act, right?” Cheryl smiled, picking up Adam and smoothing down his hair. “Not only is this case going to get a lot of exposure for my career, but it’ll be good for you, too, Hamilton.”
I strongly disagreed with her, especially since she didn’t know I technically was on the opposing team. But curiosity got the better of me. “Why?” I asked, in what was hopefully an interesting and not weird-sounding voice.
“Stefano—Mayor Mills—mentioned to me today he wanted to have a part-time assistant working on the case with us, and he specifically asked me if you would be interested.”
“Me? Work for the mayor?” Funny, how those words, six months ago, would have made my day, even my week. Now they sent my spirits plummeting into a downward spiral.
“Yes. Wouldn’t that be great for your college application?” Cheryl beamed and all I felt was an instant sense of displacement.
Who was I, anyway? I was Hamilton Dinger, superstar athlete, genius, and charismatic leader. I succeeded at school, sports, and social niceties. I was on the fast-track to college, law school, and a career.
But then ...
I was also Wingdinger, a fallen Star, called to protect my city and save the day from any supernatural villainy. I didn’t understand a lot of the whys or the hows, or even the whats, but I knew it was the right thing to do.
All my life, I thought I was supposed to be sitting up at the prosecutor’s table with Cheryl, not sitting in the defendant’s chair.
I looked at my mother now, as she kept chatting away with some of the details of the case, talking about legal fees, long-term punishment, social work, counseling, prison time, public humiliation, government cooperation, etc.
Fear unexpectedly tore through me. What would my mother think if she found out I was one of her adversaries in court? What would the government do with me? What if I did die, like I’d feared earlier? How would I live, though? How was the battle between Wingdinger and the Sinisters going to end? I didn’t know. They sure seemed to have an endless supply of minions for me to fight. And how was I ever going to have my dream life if I was chasing demons?
Bitterness quickly followed. Starry Knight didn’t have these kinds of problems, I’ll bet, I thought.
And speaking of problems ...
Elysian was slithering up the stairs outside Cheryl’s office.
“I’ll have to think about it,” I sputtered out, interrupting Cheryl mid-lecture. “I just don’t know.”
“Don’t be silly,” Cheryl snapped, just a bit too forcefully. “This is what you’ve always wanted.”
She’s never doubted that I would say no to this, I realized. But then, I wouldn’t have, either.
“Well, I still have school, and swim team, and other stuff,” I reminded her. “My SATs aren’t going to take themselves. Especially with Mrs. Night’s class, remember? I’ll be lucky if I get a 750 in English at this rate.”
“Oh, honey, we’ll work that out,” Cheryl insisted. “I’m the District Attorney now, and Stefano is an understanding man. I’m sure we’ll be able to work out a schedule for you that fits into your life.”
“Oh. Well then. I guess I’ll have to meet him one day.” I didn’t really know what else to say.
“You’ll like him, Hamilton. He’s already impressed with you and your records. Stefano’s very concerned with the next generation and he even told me today he thinks you’ll be an exemplary role model for his team.”
I wish she would’ve stopped there, but she continued.
“Getting those two nuisances up on trial is a great opportunity to refine your skills and learn the ins and outs of being a lawyer. This is the chance of a lifetime, Ham! It’s everything you’ve ever dreamed.”
I nodded, unable to feel my legs anymore. “Okay,” I said listlessly. “I gotta go. I have some work to do.” Then I hurried off before I had to deal with any of Cheryl’s questions.
☼11☼