Not Your Villain (Sidekick Squad #2)(5)

They’re definitely not at the train station. The car behind them honks angrily. People stare.

“Come on, fix it!” Nick says as Collette tries to reprogram.

Finally, the car whirs to life and drives them to the train station. It’s bustling with noise and people and luggage.

Walking through the station, Bells trips a few times over his own two feet and bumps into Simon and Sean more than once as they bicker over who gets to carry Bells’ bag. At the platform, people are saying goodbye to their loved ones.

“Final boarding for northbound from Las Vegas, stopping at Middleton, Redwood County, and Aerial City,” the automated voice announces.

Gleaming silver, the hovertrain is larger than life.

Air rushes from the bottom of the train, and it hovers above the magnetic track, ready for hispeed travel. Bells knows it’s just maglev tech, but somehow, the way the train floats effortlessly always seems magical.

“Final boarding!”

A high, sharp whistle blows.

Bells glances around the busy hub. Most of the other passengers have already boarded, leaving only a few well-wishers on the platform. He turns to his parents.

“We’re so proud of you,” Nick and Collette chorus.

“It’s your last year, right?” Nick asks.

“I don’t know for sure, but I think I can finish this year,” Bells says. He stands a little taller, certain that he’ll be doing actual missions for the League before the year is out.

“Your DED is fully charged? You’ll call us when you get there?” Nick asks, his brow furrowed.

“Yes, Dad.”

It finally registers that he’s going to be away for the whole summer. He tries to memorize his mother’s soft and serene smile, the severity of his father’s eyebrows, the way his mother towers over his father. Dad will be the shortest in the family soon, but for now, Bells and his dad are eye-to-eye.

Simon ruffles his hair, and Bells scowls, but he doesn’t really mind. He gently tucks his hair back into place, and, on a whim, changes it from blue to purple, which earns him a shoulder bump from his older brother.

“Watch it, we’re in public!” Simon hisses.

“No one saw,” Bells says. Everyone on the platform is too busy saying hellos and goodbyes.

He takes in his family: his brothers’ height; the way Sean leans on Simon; his parents’ watery eyes. At the sight of everyone beaming at him, his heart catches.

“Well, come here,” Nick says, opening his arms.

Bells swallows the lump in his throat. He walks into the group hug and inhales the scent of basil and mint that always follows his mother, the cinnamon-apple scent of Sean, and Simon’s spicy hair gel. Their arms wrap around him like a protective cocoon.

“Call the minute you’re in New Vancouver,” Nick says.

Bells hushes him. “You don’t know the training center is in New Vancouver. No one knows that.”

“Right. Well, I’m pretty sure it is. I narrowed it down to all the possible places that the—” He glances around before dropping his voice to a whisper. “Look, there are only so many places outside of Aerial City, and because they need so much room in a Class 1 area, there’s only—”

Bells laughs and breaks free of the hug. “I’ll call you guys every day.”

“Yeah! Show ’em who’s boss!” Simon pumps his fist into the air.

A nearby couple and their toddler eye the Broussards warily.

“Soccer camp,” Sean says to them, winking.

“And call me if you can’t handle the T-shot by yourself,” Nick reminds him.

Bells flushes. “Da-ad, I’ve got this.”

He’s a bit squeamish with needles so his dad has been helping him with his monthly hormone shots ever since he started them. The last two years, he switched to the patch for the ten-week training session, but this year he didn’t have time to order them. Bells will have to administer at least two shots. He practiced last night and has it handled, though. He definitely doesn’t want his dad coming to Aerial City to help him.

“Okay, kiddo,” Nick says.

Simon and Sean squish Bells between them in a tight hug, then lift him up in the air the way they used to when he was a kid.

“Losers, put me down!”

“No way, Baby-Bells!” Simon gives him a particularly tight squeeze, and Sean does the same, until Bells is laughing. It’s been a long time since they were all together like this; he’s missed it.

“Not a baby,” Bells protests.

“Let us know when you’re a big hero,” Sean says as they set Bells down. “I’ll buy all your comic books.”

“Shut up.” Bells shakes his head in amusement.

“Here, take a snack for the train.” Simon puts another ripe apple into Bells’ pocket.

Bells shoves playfully at Simon’s shoulders before straightening his clothes. He gives his parents one last hug goodbye and gets on the train.

Bells finds a window seat and watches the oranges and reds of the desert as they speed by. He can barely grasp how big this country is, how much land exists outside the populated regions in the swaths of Unmaintained zones too close to the original meltdown points for habitation.

The X29 flare not only knocked out the entire global power systems, but also caused many nuclear power stations to fail. The Nevada region was lucky; the nearest nuclear meltdown zone was in California. But several meltdown points dotted the East Coast. Las Vegas was one of the few cities untouched by radiation, and people flocked to the city and its desert counterparts. Some cities, like Nuevo Los Angeles, were rebuilt after the Disasters where the original city once stood, and others, like New Bright City, were redesigned with the future in mind.