“And I gave you Skwinkles Salsagheti back, so don’t talk to me about—”
Nick was furious. “You’re a goddamn Extraordinary. Do you know what that makes me? That makes me the clueless comedic relief! I never wanted to be the clueless comedic relief. I’m supposed to be the hero!” He grabbed Seth’s head, turning it to the side so he could have access to the earpiece. “And, Gibby, you’re in so much trouble. Martha, you too. You’re going to rue the day you tried to pull a fast one on me. Do you hear me? Rue.”
Seth shoved him away. Nick would have gone sprawling had Seth not grabbed his arm at the last moment, pulling him back upright as if Nick weighed nothing at all. “Oh, right,” he said weakly. “I forgot you were all buff and crap now.”
“Buff and crap,” Seth muttered. “That’s just great.”
“I liked you the way you were before.” And for some reason, this thought struck Nick harder than almost everything else. He took a step back. “You lied to me. All this time. It’s been years. Shadow Star and Pyro Storm, you’ve kept this from me. I talked about Shadow Star incessantly. And you let me. Did you laugh behind my back? Both of you?”
Seth’s eyes widened. “No. Nick, it was never like that. I swear to you. I never—”
Nick didn’t believe him. “It’s like I don’t even know who you are. And even if I thought I did, you’re still … Pyro Storm. You were always the villain.”
Seth looked tormented. “I’m still me, Nicky. I swear. This is a mask. It’s nothing. It’s only the smallest part of me. I never wanted—I just needed to keep you—”
“Safe?” Nick retorted. “I’m sick of people telling me that. I’m not fragile. I can handle myself. I distracted Owen long enough to get you to explode all the glass, didn’t I?”
Seth shook his head. “I didn’t—Nick, we’ll talk about this later, okay? I need to get you out of here.”
“Oh, we’ll talk about this later, all right, Seth Gray. You’re in so much trouble. It’s going to take the rest of our lives for me to be able to forgive you. I hope you’re prepared for some epic groveling. I wrote a two-hundred-thousand-word masturbatory ode to Owen of all people. Do you know how that makes me feel? Unclean is how it makes me feel!”
“Oh, god,” Owen moaned behind them. “Spare me, please. I really don’t want to have to listen to you two fawn all over each other. It’s really harshing my buzz. Though, Seth, you should probably remember that I taught Nicky here everything he knows. No matter what happens, I had him first.”
Nick glowered at him. “First? Listen here, you motherf—”
Nick was spun dizzyingly around as Seth shoved him toward the elevator, putting himself between them. “Go,” he said over his shoulder. “Now. Get out of here.”
Nick glared at him. “I don’t know if you’re in any position to tell me what to do right now.”
Owen bared bloody teeth in a silent snarl as he pushed himself up off the ground. “Let him stay. See what happens when you witness the full extent of my power.”
Nick and Seth turned their heads slowly to gape at Owen.
“What?” Owen asked.
“Dude,” Nick said, aghast. “Seriously. The full extent of your power? What’s next? With great power comes great responsibility? Kiss my damn ass, you dumb—”
“Maybe don’t try to rile up the supervillain,” Seth muttered.
“Do you say stupid things like he does?” Nick demanded. “Because if you do, I don’t think I can be seen in public with you. God, what the hell was I thinking? Both of you suck. Extraordinaries are the worst. My new dream is to become a dentist with my own private practice in Idaho. People with superpowers are terrible.”
“Hey!”
Owen pulled himself to his full height, tilting his head side to side as he stretched his neck. He reached up and wiped away the blood from his lips before he spat on the ground. Shadows gathered at his feet, roiling like liquid tentacles. They crawled up his legs, and for a moment, Nick thought they were going to swallow him whole. Instead, left in their wake was Shadow Star’s costume, rising until it covered his shoulders. If Nick wasn’t so pissed off, he’d think it was badass. “It’s all out in the