Not Your Villain (Sidekick Squad #2)(45)
“Thought you couldn’t make it, Ricky,” Slingshot-or-Buckshot says, grinning at him as he heaps a smoking pile of ribs onto Bells’ plate.
“Change of plans,” Bells says, eyeing the barbecue. “Wouldn’t miss hanging out with you guys for the world.”
“Ah huh. So I take it Crinoline took you back? I’m surprised.”
“I—” So they did get back together? But—
“There you are,” Christine says, putting a hand on his elbow. “Ricky, can you help me with this in the kitchen?”
His stomach fills with dread. What if I’ve been found out? Or not found out, and Christine expects us to—
Bells follows Christine into the kitchen. It’s all open space and granite countertops, a majestic place he would love to cook in; his older brother would swoon over the stoves and the state-of-the-art refrigerators. She hands him a cup. “Got your favorite, orange soda.”
Bells takes a sip; the flavor is too sweet, but Ricky must like it. “Thanks.”
“So, Barry, want to tell me what all this villain business is about?” Christine says smoothly.
Bells coughs, spluttering and sending soda everywhere. “I—”
“Don’t even try. I could have your shirt unraveled and you fastened to that chair in an instant if you tried to leave. Maybe I’ve already called the Authorities and the League is on their way to pick you up,” Christine says. The easygoing attitude disappears in an instant; her face hardens. She tosses her hair over her shoulder, somehow making it look threatening. “But—”
“Don’t, it’s not what you think. They’re wrong; they’ve been wrong the whole time, lying to us about everything—” Bells stammers, but his panic is overriding his control. What if he’s caught? What if they make him tell where his family is, and they get tortured? What if they get Jess and Abby and Emma—
He must lose the shift because Christine steps back and raises her eyebrows. “I gotta say, you’re a lot cuter than Ricky. This isn’t what Barry looks like, either. But you’ve got his powers. Are you or are you not Chameleon?”
Bells can see his reflection in Christine’s refrigerator door; dark skin, big brown eyes, and brown fluffy hair. Ugh, it’s not even dyed any cool color.
He puts a streak of blue in his hair, keeping one eye on Christine. Her face remains unreadable. Should he be scared that his secret is out, or not?
“Okay, you’re definitely Chameleon. But not… Barry?”
“Barry’s made up,” Bells says quietly. “This is what I look like. I must have slipped when I was freaking out.” Christine nods. “Look, I’ll explain everything. Can we go somewhere more private?” They’re only a doorway away from the party-goers. Someone could wander in at any time.
“Sure.”
Christine leads him upstairs; she’s got a huge, lavish bedroom, complete with its own sitting area with a chaise lounge and Victorian furniture. Posters of The Hay Hays dot the walls, as well as holos of what must be Christine and her family.
Bells tries his best with the story; it starts in bits and pieces, but Christine is an apt listener. He explains about the corruption in the League, the way the villains are chosen and have to pick fights with the heroes, how Orion was experimenting on the villains, and then how he and his friends broke Mistress Mischief out of that facility.
“Okay, I’m not saying I completely believe you just yet, but I always thought there might be something fishy going on,” Christine says.
“Really?” Bells exhales.
“Well, I didn’t really have an inkling that things weren’t exactly the way they seemed until I started working in supersuit research and development this summer. I did a lot of repairs. Most of the damage? Not caused by meta-abilities.” She sighs. “Hearing the fights were staged doesn’t really surprise me.” Christine taps her chin thoughtfully. “These experiments, though. I can’t believe Orion would go to such lengths just to find ways to be stronger.”
Bells nods; the tension eases from his body. “How did you know I wasn’t Ricky?”
“Tantalum underlaid in the gate. Part of our security measures. On the cams we can see active meta-powers dropped, just as a precaution. Also, I didn’t want that waste of time at my party. I made sure I’d be able to spot him if he tried to sneak in.” Christine huffs. She brings up the security feed on her DED; there’s Bells-as-Ricky at the gate, pressing the keypad. When he steps over the threshold, his disguise slips, and he’s very clearly Bells.
“Speaking of that, I’ve got a reputation to maintain. Give me a second.” She turns to the window, opens it a crack. “And stay out of my house, you two-timing, despicable piece of forgotten lint!” she yells, and then slams her door a few times.
“Look, I don’t really want to get involved, but I’ve always thought of you as a friend, and when all that news came out… I didn’t really know what to think. I’m glad you’re here, though. You should stay for the rest of the party. I wanna hear more about you, and why you were at training as ‘Barry’ and not, well, you.”
“My name is Bells.” He holds out his hand, and Christine shakes it with a hearty grin.
“Nice to meet you. Call me Christine. I like Crinoline as my hero name, but I don’t know if that’s going to stick, what with not having a power cool enough for the League and all.”