Villains Rise

Chapter 26 -- To The Undergrounds, clumpnugget

"It's a trap. It has to be a trap." I tell my mom in a panic. My anxiety level increases by the second.

What would Sophia know, anyways?

My mind flashes back to her and Mason talking outside on our porch when I was sneaking around the house. She talked to Mason like they knew each other in The Undergrounds. She knew something about Jonas' kidnapping, too.

If Sophia is part of The Undergrounds, I really can't trust her. There isn't a person in that room that I would confide in. Telling me to meet her at midnight makes the situation even more creepy. What if it's not even her? I mean, I don't know of anyone else that could scare me anymore than her, so that's not really the biggest issue.

My mom snaps her fingers in front of me. I focus in on her face. I've never seen my mom wearing this expression. She almost looks... mischevious? "You're lucky I happen to have a change of clothes with me."

"Why?" I ask, hesitant to see where this is headed.

"Because you're going to see Sophia." She gets up from the couch, and I stare at her in bewilderment.

"Mom, that's ridiculous! How can I trust this message is from her? How can I trust her?" My voice raises as I become panicked with the thought. I'm as weak as I have ever been, to make matters worse. If I were to need any of my powers, who knows if they would come through for me? Since I've become a super, my mom has been against every step I take towards action. Now my mom is telling me to go into a sketchy situation?

Mom puts her hand on the doorknob. Before she exits the house, she smirks. "You don't need to worry about anything,"

My eyebrow quirks, showing my confusion. She opens the door, "I'm going to be your backup."

***

It's 11:58 pm and I can hear my heart beating in my ears. Mom is driving me to the end of Sophia's road and dropping me off so it looks like I came alone. I just hope I can make it all the way to her house on foot without falling over.

"I feel like I'm dropping you off at your first sleepover all over again." Mom tries to ease the tension. It isn't working.

"Yeah, only this time, you're ditching me at the curb and I don't think we'll be talking about boys."

Mom squints at me, making me think twice about what I just said.

I sigh in defeat, "Well, not in that way, at least."

Mom leans back into the driver seat. I want to do the same, but I find my nerves are on edge. There is no chance of me relaxing.

"Sometimes I wish we were a normal family." Mom admits.

It's my turn to look at her quizzically.

"But that would be quite a boring life." She smiles and sits up in the seat again.

The clock in her car turns to 12:00 and my heart plummets to my stomach. Why am I so terrified of coming face to face with Sophia? She's just an arrogant witch that stole Mickey from me. Actually, that was her loss and my gain. She did me a favor.

I sit up a little straighter. Forget my weakened powers. I'm going in stronger than ever.

"You sure you don't want me to walk with you and then hide in the bushes?" Mom offers, half joking and half serious. It can't be easy for her to watch me walk down a dimly lit road at midnight to meet with an unknown person. My thoughts begin to race again. What if it's not Sophia and it turns out to be Owen or another villain like Shadow Soldier?