Heroes

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

The doorbell rang and I realised I had been staring at the letter a good two minutes after I had finished writing it. So there it was, Robinson's story and Mortals story and even Paula's story, all laid out on paper. I sighed and folded the paper down again tucking it neatly into my jeans pocket not being able to bring myself to set it down somewhere. 

"George," Mum's voice was vicious. She clearly hadn't got over my earlier storm out, despite how fair it now felt. She had to at least reply to the letter. She couldn't have not at all cared about what Robinson had to say. She hadn't even seemed to intend to pass own the apology meant for me. 

"George?!" 

"I'm coming!"

I unwedged the door and grabbed the books quickly from beneath my bed. I jogged quickly downstairs just in time to catch Mum, Henry and Tim all standing in the hallway. 

"I'm taking Henry to the park for a couple of hours," Mum said. "We should be back before you tutoring is done."

She gave a warning glare that said clearly, don't do anything else while I'm gone, and swooped Henry up to hurry out of the door. Tim and I were left standing alone in the hall. 

"Sorry I'm late again," mumbled Tim distractedly. "I had a thing. Anyways, can I use your bathroom before we start?"

"Sure, top of the stairs to the right," I instructed. 

Tim dumped his bag on the hallway floor and darted up the stairs. I looked down at the bag with a heavy sigh. If Mum came in and tripped over that she would kill. I lifted it, balancing the heavy contents in one hand and my own books in the other and I wobbled towards the dining table in the kitchen. 

Just before I reached the table Tim's bag toppled in my hand. It slid from my grasp and tumbled to the floor. A water bottle on the inside fell against the front peeling open the zip of it's own accord. Tim's things tumbled out onto the floor. Books, scraps of paper, a tattered pencil case and an old gym kit, a phone. Muttering grumpily I let my books land heavily on the dining table and I bent to collect the assortments that had fallen out of the bag. As I piled them all together and scrunching the gym kit in my hands I heard something move inside the ball, a crunching of plastic perhaps. Scared that I was breaking something I separated the joggers from the t-shirt and I searched for the source of the noise. It was a plastic zip lock bag, inside a syringe filled with clear, light reflecting liquid. Just as I picked it up, collected it in my hands and dropped the clothing, Tim appeared in the kitchen doorway. It took seconds for him to assess the situation before he turned pale in alarm.

"It's nothing," he spluttered and then quickly corrected with, "I can explain!"

I stared at him my heart thrashing as  I put two and two together. 

"Oh my God," I muttered staring at the vial. "This is the serum. This takes superpowers away."

My heart started hammering hard in my chest  as I stared at Tim. I couldn't help but look at him differently. Why did he have the serum? Then hit me, Tim was a science prodigy.

"You made it!" I accused. 

"No!" Tim cried. "No you've got it all wrong."

I dove passed him. Tried for the door. Avery and Max were right across the street. I had to tell them. I had to warn them. We'd been betrayed.

"George! George please? I can explain. I swear."

"Who are you?" I raged trying to pull out of his tight grasp on my shoulders. "You're a member aren't you? You're part of the Equilibrium!"