MIRA

Kingsbury College was closer to the outskirts of our new town, to the suburbs. It was still accessible, obviously, to the sprawling metropolis of downtown, but the public transit was still at least half an hour.

I left the tram station and walked about two blocks to the main building of the college campus. I tried to blend in with various other commuters and college students.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a white van with the Atomic Energy logo on it. The exact model of our pickup and drop-off vans. I averted my eyes and walked a little bit faster.

I tried to tell myself that it was just the usual drop offs—but then I saw three more, all around the campus. My heart raced. They were looking for me, I just knew it.

They hadn't done this for Verity—they hadn't tried to look for her like this. How did they even know that I might be here?

I didn't believe in coincidences. At least, not anymore.

Whatever Dr. Banning had told them, it was enough to convince them that I was more dangerous than their first runaway. I didn't even want to think about what they would do when they finally caught me.

I scurried past others— not revealing my true speed, but definitely putting some hustle into my pace. I tried to stay in the middle of the herd, so I couldn't be picked out so easily. After all, the public didn't know what I looked like outside of the mask. But my family, the Sentinels and my handler—they did. They'd be able to pick me out quickly.

Which made it imperative to follow everything I'd learned from Henry's example and stay incognito.

They didn't know for sure I was here, I told myself. They didn't know Warlock's identity, or that he was even helping me. They couldn't know any of that.

But even my own words of reassurance to myself felt hollow and empty.

I didn't know what I was doing, didn't even know where I was. I was just following a crowd. I had to find Henry, I had to tell him what I'd learned from Mastermind and that we had to get the truth now from Heretic, before I was captured.

I stepped away from the crowd and stopped in front of a campus map. I frowned—Henry hadn't told me exactly what kind of classes he was taking here.

Where would I even begin to find him?

Lost in my thoughts, I was jolted by a polite, insistent tap on my shoulder.

I whirled around, dropping into a fighting stance and raising my curled fists. But it was only Henry.

I quickly straightened myself up and looked around. It was too easy, to provoke me into my roots.

I was lucky that no one had taken notice.

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"Whoa, whoa, are you alright?" He blinked several times.

I tried to relax, but I still felt tense. I couldn't unclench my fists. "They're here. Atomic Energy."

"I noticed." He glanced around. "They like to drop off and pick up around here all the time—but you'd know that—"

He stopped. His attempts to reassure himself and me weren't working. We both knew too much of the truth for that.

"We need to get a move on," I said. "Do you know where Heretic is?"

"Yeah, I can take you to her." We started walking on one of the paths, towards a large building with a sign outside—the Andersen Science Building, funded by who else? The family that founded Atomic Energy.

"What's with the red folder?" Henry asked.

"I found a warrant in City Hall. The old man— he thought it might be relevant."

"Why would that be?"

"It authorizes Atomic Energy to use whatever force they deem necessary on any of the mutated," I explained. "The old man believed it might apply to more than just supervillains, but civilians, too."

"That's troubling," Henry agreed, to my surprise.

"I thought it might just be a thing to let us cooperate with the police." I could feel the warmth rising in my cheeks. Was I really the only one who couldn't see it?

"No, the other superheroes have a gentlemen's agreement with the police." Henry glanced over his shoulder. "It's all between the lines, that kind of thing."

"I'm still not sure."

Red caught my attention out of the corner of my eye—and I was sure I recognized the floppy brown hair. Ryder was the last person I wanted to be looking for me.

"Don't walk so fast," Henry whispered into my hair as he put his arm around my shoulders. "We just gotta act like we're supposed to be here."

"You are, I'm not."

"We're almost to the science building," Henry promised.

We climbed the steps. I glanced over my shoulder, despite every instinct and nerve in my body warning me against such an action.

The rest of the Miracle Force were talking to kids at the college. And I could have sworn that they pointed at the building we were entering.

I kept close to Henry, my heartbeat far too fast. It was like a hummingbird again. God, I hated that feeling.

Henry gently rubbed my shoulder as my skin hummed with energy.

"It's okay," he assured me, despite looking in a new direction every time he blinked.

We entered a new state-of-art building, with a lobby boasting of the various projects the seniors were developing.

We headed into the elevator and headed to the back as other students flooded in with us. I stared at the wall. I wouldn't let anyone have anything to recognize me with.

"Third floor, please," Henry said, a charming All-American expression on his face.

One of the other kids just nodded and pressed the button, and we soared upwards.

I thought I would throw up, I felt so nervous.

Courage, Mira, I told myself. Just a little further, and I would know the lie.

This was for Verity.

I blinked.

I'd almost forgotten Verity's face. So soon. I struggled to recall every detail, every scar.

She deserved better than this.

The elevator beeped and the doors opened, startling me out of my reverie.

We entered the hallway. We were the only ones to need the third floor on that elevator, apparently.

"She should be here, her office is on this floor," Henry muttered.

That's when he stopped in front of an office for the City Archivist—Lora Lancaster, the name said on the side.

No way.

He tapped on the door. "Ms. Lancaster?"

"The door's unlocked."

Without the context of a face, I could recognize it, both as the voice of Lora Lancaster and as Heretic's.

She'd been there the whole time.

She'd been working for the place she burned down.

The answers were so much closer than I'd known.

Henry opened the door and we entered a cramped office where indeed, Lora Lancaster was sitting filling out some kind of paperwork.

"You're here early, Henry."

Her eyes then fell on me. "Mira again. Henry, did you—"

"I told her she was meeting Heretic," Henry said. "We need to talk about something we should have a long time ago. We need to talk about what happened to Mrs. Browning."

She surveyed him for a moment, then me. Then she nodded, placing her papers neatly inside of her portfolio. She sat up straighter, dark green eyes gleaming.

"Let's talk."