Page 110 of No Capes

“Arielle wants to have a chat with you.” I remember. “Not about Brynn, but you have to come downstairs. It’s something good.”

“Well, I’m always up for some good news.” He swings his legs over the side of the bed. Already in sweatpants and a Capital High sweatshirt, he reaches for my hand. I don’t let go as we leave his room, or when we head down the stairs. We’ll get through this together.

~

Arielle and Jamie wait in the kitchen. Arielle leans against her counter, in jeans and a striped sweater, and Jamie sits at the table, wearing a pair of fleece Wolverine pajamas.

Fox, a senior in high school, would have been out of Capital City in a year, but now that Brynn’s in jail and Jamie’s still in middle school, leaving looks more and more impractical. Arielle had apparently reached a conclusion about this the second that Brynn was arrested.

“Phil was a total idiot,” she starts. Jamie cracks up at Arielle saying “idiot,” and even Fox manages not to look as sad. “For many reasons, one being his prenuptial agreement had more holes than our yard did. And since he broke multiple federal laws, most of his property and money is mine now.” Most people would hear her say this flatly, as if stating facts.

Only I hear the self-righteousserves him rightbehind it.

“Including this house,” she says.

“Mansion,” I correct her.

Arielle continues. “Madeline and our dad will move in with me, and I’d like to offer a place for both of you to stay too. Fox, you’re almost eighteen, of course you don’t have to—”

“—we’re in,” says Fox. “As long as it’s okay with Madeline.”

Our eyes lock. He means, do I want him around so much? Do I want to be in extreme proximity to him every day?

“Duh,” I answer, and Fox finally grins.

Jamie gives his brother a high-five. “YES.”

“Perfect,” Arielle says, checking items off her list. She turns to me. “Next, we need to discuss swim team.”

“I still can’t believe the news about Aaron. Er, Patrick,” I say. “I mean, he got some serious bulkage in just a few weeks, but he’d been in the freaking Olympics? That’s insane. How did you not catch that?”

She examines her nails for the tiniest imperfection. “He had a great alibi for moving to Capital City, using his mother’s new job, and there was, of course, the name change. Ihadsuspected steroids. I mentioned it to our athletic director a few weeks ago, and here we are.”

A sadness settles on my shoulders as I consider Aaron/Patrick, who’d tried for a fresh start in Capital City, and all I did was interrogate him. He’d already destroyed his career and his relationship with his sister.

I think back to my first class with Aaron. After Fox shared the video of Dark Static setting fire to Milligan’s house, Fox, acting, had tried to get us to think about Supers.

Fox: “We don’t know anything about Supers. Who are they really, how do they get powers? Why are they acting up now?”

Molly: “No one knows. That’s the entire problem.”

Aaron: “Someone knows.”

I thought it was mysterious of Aaron to say that. Now, after seeing him dragged through the newspaper, I wonder if there’sanother conspiracy afoot. Was Aaron referencing something in particular? Is hereallybeing forced out of Capital City for something other than steroids? Had he been forced out of his old city?

Capital City will fall because of this,Phil had said.Does that have any connection to what’s going on with Aaron?

I resolve to find out. I want to help, and Aaron doesn’t deserve this humiliation.

“Did you know him well?” Jamie asks, looking at me. “Like were you friends or—?”

Fox cuts him off. “Alrighty, J. Time for bed.”

“But it’s barely dark,” Jamie protests. “And I’m not tired.”

“You’re almost thirteen though,” says Fox. “And if you want to get any taller, you need a lot of sleep.”

Jamie makes a face, whining.