“They’ll never get here in time.” Emma yanked away Ollie’s phone and ended the call.

“But—”

“Didn’t you hear Riley?” Emma tore off her clothes.

“Did you want to get hurt too?”

Emma smeared the paint stick on her face. Her skin crawled at the feeling of the damp makeup alternating with the dry patches she’d missed. She didn’t have time to fix it.

Jaw throbbing, Emma thrust her backpack at Ollie. “Watch my stuff and stay out of the way.”

“Keep your phone!” Ollie snatched it out of the backpack’s mesh side-pocket and held it up to her.

Emma had to stop Ice Queen. She kicked off the ground, but Ollie’s hand stopped her.

Riley screamed again and Emma’s blood turned cold.

“I’ve got to go!” Emma clipped on the crown-thing.

“How will you get your clothes?” Ollie waved the phone crazily, but let her go.

“Fine.” Emma stuffed the phone in her bra, then flew over the band room, the pressure inside her jaw and sinuses building.

In the middle of the growing group of her friends, Ice Queen paced in the air near enough to Riley and Mrs. Vann to reach out and touch them.

Riley clung to her mother.

A shard of pain pulsed over Emma’s left eye. Great. The pressure of the gleek-sneeze building was making a sinus headache. Worst power ever. Why couldn’t it be cool like Ice Queen’s stupid ice that shot out her hands. It probably didn’t come with awful sinus headaches.

What was Ice Queen doing anyway? She talked about justice, but this wasn’t justice. Had Ice Queen lost her mind? And why weren't the Vanns running away? Were they too scared to run?

If she shouted for Riley and her mom to run and for Ice Queen to stop, would they run into a classroom somewhere? That could give Ice Queen a chance to stop acting crazy. But if she yelled, nothing was stopping Ice Queen from blasting her out of the sky.

What if Riley was too hurt to run?

No, Emma needed to follow Andres’ advice. At least kind of. Ice Queen was too close to Riley and her mom. If Emma gleek-sneezed at them, there was no telling if she’d blow up Riley instead of saving her.

Emma should wait until she knew her sneeze would only hit Ice Queen before she gave any announcements. That meant Emma needed to get between her and the Vanns or draw Ice Queen away.

Heart pounding, Emma swam through the sky. They really might not be running because they couldn’t. The image of third-grade Riley’s broken arm flashed in her mind. Emma shook her head to clear it and kicked herself closer.

Riley and her mother shivered, their arms wrapped around one another. Clear ice encased Riley and her mother’s feet. No wonder they weren’t running. Ice Queen had frozen them to the spot.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“—deserves justice.” Ice Queen’s voice was pitched so low, Emma barely caught the words.

Deserved justice for what? And how was Ice Queen going to administer that justice? She’d already frozen their feet. What else did she intend?

Blake and Hunter had nearly killed Hannah, but Riley? What had she done?

Emma’s jaw throbbed. Her nose itched, making her eyes water. Not yet, she told herself. But the gleek-sneeze kept trying to force its way out.

Emma did one massive frog-kick, propelling herself toward Ice Queen. “Leave them alone!” Emma careened passed Riley and her mom.

Ice shot towards her, but Emma darted upward, Ice Queen following. The pain behind her left eye throbbed as she rose higher.

Emma spiraled left, trying to focus on Ice Queen. She ground her teeth to contain the gleek-sneeze threatening to explode out of her.

Her glasses and the wire-crown swung loose.

Crap! She caught her glasses before they fell. If she lost them, she wouldn’t even be able to see to aim. She slammed them back on her face and held them in place as she darted through the sky.

Ice Queen pivoted to shoot blast after blast of ice at Emma.

Dang it! Ice Queen wouldn’t give up her position near the Vanns.

Sweat stung Emma’s eyes. Her nose full of a thick acrid chemical , she gasped for air and shut her mouth again.

Maybe if Emma kept dodging, Ice Queen would run out of ice. She should only have so much liquid in her body, right? Simple science.

“Hold still!” Ice Queen threw her hands up and sent a giant column of ice up into the sky. The ice crashed down, shards pelting the Vanns and the bystanders.

“Stop trying to freeze me,” Emma shouted as she maneuvered between Ice Queen and the Vanns again.

Ice Queen clasped her hands behind her back and floated as if she were waiting for an answer.

The gesture bugged Emma. She knew it from somewhere, just as she had recognized the way Andres stood in his speedster costume. She knew this woman, but from where?

“I’m not doing anything she doesn’t deserve,” Ice Queen snapped.

“What did she do to deserve frost bite?” Emma asked.

“She deserves a lot more than that.” Ice Queen raised her hands, her fists glowing blue.

Emma’s nose tickled. The gleek-sneeze started bubbling out. Emma jerked her head away from Ice Queen. She wasn’t a murderer.

The fireball knocked Ice Queen sideways. Ice Queen’s pink wig flew off her head, revealing a huge black bun. A branch caught fire. Burning pine needles showered down.

Emma clamped her jaw shut and groaned. The pressure in her head and jaw were still there.

“Those boys deserve justice.” Ice Queen righted herself and pulled the wig back on, maneuvering herself behind Riley and her mother. “Justice! Not—”

Emma moved to keep herself between Ice Queen and her friend. “I don’t want any, ah—achoo!” Emma slammed her mouth shut and plugged her nose, but not fast enough.

She hit the tree behind Ice Queen with her sneeze and the tree crackled. Even from the distance Emma hovered, the heat of the fire was making her sweat.

“You want to help people, then help good people.” Ice Queen raised her fists and ice flew at Emma. “She doesn’t deserve it.”

She spun, her glasses flying off her face. She blinked, but her eyes couldn’t focus. Nausea churned in her belly. She couldn’t see.

Ice Queen was a blur of blue and white. Emma couldn’t even make out Ice Queen’s arms to see if she was aiming at her again.

Which, she was. As Emma dove towards the ground, putting herself in front of Riley and her mother, a shard of ice grazed Emma’s calf. Emma hovered over the ground, ignoring the pain and hoped it wasn’t too bad. She turned back to Ice Queen. “Everyone deserves help from injustice.”

The blue blur faded into the sky over the football field.

Emma slumped, drifting toward the ground. Ice Queen had listened.

Blue and red light lit the classroom and trees. Emma turned back towards the parking lot and the band room, putting Riley, her mom, and the tree behind her.

Cop cars crowded the small area—someone must have removed the yellow posts from the edge of the parking lot.

A dozen black uniformed people spread around the quad. She squinted. The cops were pointing guns at her. Crap!