Page 45 of Flash Fire (The Extraordinaries 2)

He gasped in a breath. His chest expanded to the point he thought his ribs would crack. He exhaled explosively before drawing another breath, holding it as best he could.

“Good,” Jazz said. “Again. In, Nick.”

He did. In. Hold. Out. Hold. In. Out. In out in out in—

And then he began to cry, choked, weak sobs that echoed in the attic around them.

Jazz lifted his head while she scooted underneath him, lettinghim rest against her legs. She put her hands in his hair, whispering that he was all right, they were all right, let it out, Nicky, let it out.

He did. A hole opened in his chest, and from it crawled the ugly monster of grief.

He didn’t know how long it took for him to come back to himself. All he knew was that when his vision finally cleared, the light from the attic window was off, as if it were late afternoon. Jazz was humming quietly, staring off into nothing as she stroked his hair.

“Sorry,” he said, closing his eyes against the embarrassment that roared through him.

“Yeah,” she said. “I kind of think that’s not something you need to apologize for.” Her hand paused in his hair. “Better?”

“I have no idea.” He scrubbed a hand over his face, grimacing at his leaking nose.

“Good answer,” she said, tracing a fingernail over his eyebrows. “You want to know what I think?”

He nodded tiredly.

She said, “I think your mother loved you very much, and if she kept things from you, then she had her reasons. Same with your dad. There isn’t anything he wouldn’t do for you.”

“Except tell me the truth,” Nick said bitterly.

“Yeah, there is that. But what if …” She trailed off, looking at the broken television. She stiffened, turning back slowly toward Nick, her eyes wide. “The TV.” There was something in her voice, something Nick couldn’t quite place. “The light bulb.” She paled. “The bridge. Oh my god, Nick. Thebridge.”

Nick struggled to follow her line of thinking, his own thoughts a chaotic mess. “What are you—McManusBridge?”

“You fell, Nick. You should’ve died. But you didn’t. Everything collapsed around you, all that metal, and it should’ve crushed you flat onto the pavement. But it just … stopped. Like you did. Floating. Like a cup. Like … water.” She sucked in a sharp breath. “Nick.Nick. Don’t you see?”

Gooseflesh prickled along his arms, skin thrumming. “See what?”

And Jasmine Kensington said, “What if it’s genetic? What if you have what she had? Nicky, what if you’ve been an Extraordinary all along?”

And that’s why I asked you both to come here today. Aaron, because I love you and this might affect you, too, one day, if we decide to have a family.

Nick gaped at her as his mind shorted out in a furious burst of sparks. “What in the actual fu—”