The Supervillain and Me (Morriston Superheroes #1)

Chapter Five

The subway was packed to capacity as Sarah and I hopped on the express line from the suburbs into the city center. A new chick flick was opening at the theater, and Sarah had managed to score us the last two tickets for the evening showtime. There was also an indie rock band playing at the newest venue on Morriston's north shore and a celebrity chef opening a new restaurant in the cultural district. Despite Iron Phantom's recent appearance, it felt like the entire city was out tonight.

The train lurched as it took off from the platform. Sarah nudged me in the back, pointing to a few empty seats in the rear corner of the car. We squeezed through the crowd, collapsing on the plastic bench.

"Is it just me," Sarah asked, "or does this thing smell like BO more and more every time we ride it?"

A group of tourists armed with brochures and thick foreign accents stopped speaking to stare down their noses at us.

"Sorry," said Sarah. "I didn't mean you."

They grunted something unintelligible and moved to the opposite end of the car.

"Whoopsies." Sarah shrugged. She pointed to the spot where the tourists had disappeared. "Ooooh! Abby, hottie alert nine o'clock!"

I couldn't tell if it was his presence that made my stomach lurch or if it was just the ancient subway tracks. I sat quietly as Sarah bounced in her seat and Isaac Jackson edged his way through the crowd, a small group of junior boys laughing and following behind him.

Isaac spun his baseball cap around backward as he turned to clap one of the other guys on the shoulder. His straight white teeth gleamed as he laughed. Sarah sighed.

"I knew joining the musical was a good idea."

"Maybe you should stick to Red Comet," I muttered, but I didn't think she heard me. I still couldn't decide if Isaac was someone I wanted to trust or not.

I hadn't spoken to him since he tracked me down in study hall, and I was trying to forget the resemblance he held to Iron Phantom. They each had green eyes and a similar build, and called me Abigail at least once. Those were the only similarities I had to go by—not a lot. I wouldn't unmask Iron Phantom with those bland observations.

I was irritated at myself for even thinking I might know the supervillain's true identity. He could be anyone in Morriston. It was far-fetched I personally knew one super in the city, let alone two.

I pushed all thoughts of Iron Phantom from my mind as Isaac approached us, his friends trailing behind him. The subway lurched, and he stumbled into a map of Morriston that was hanging on the wall behind a sheet of glass.

"Dammit. I'm not used to these things at all." He tried to steady himself as the subway jolted quickly in the opposite direction. "Hi, Abigail. Hi, Abigail's friend."

"It's Sarah." She grinned. "Sarah with an h."

Isaac nodded. The group of boys he was with passed by us. They unlatched the door that separated our car from the next and ran across the narrow platform. A big no-no in subway etiquette, but it was also the easiest way to win a game of Morriston truth or dare. Not that I'd ever tried it.

Isaac wobbled as he clutched the handrails above his head. He didn't know what he was getting himself into by jumping cars. Unless, of course, he really could teleport.

Stupid, Abby. I shook myself back into reality as I watched Sarah talk Isaac's ear off. She was trying to get his help with learning lyrics for the musical. Sarah could hardly sing melodies of songs; she was having a disastrous time learning the harmonies.

"Okay, so," Sarah said, sitting up straight and taking a deep breath, "it's little servant girrrrrrrl." She pushed her voice as deep as it would go, but the result was less show-tuney-melodic and far more pregnant-moose-about-to-give-birth.