I turned to her and could see fear in her expression. “Someone’s taken Lysander. I was trying to get him back.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, and I just nodded.
“Ana, I need an airship, and I need it now!” I demanded.
I could’ve used my powers to follow them, but I was still learning, and I had no idea who or what I was dealing with. Who would kidnap Lysander right out from under my nose?
Libby and Pete climbed aboard the ship with me, and within minutes we were in pursuit. Unfortunately, I’d lost my connection and whoever was in control of the ship had some cloaking device that masked its trail. Something the pilots argued wasn’t possible unless it was new technology they weren’t aware of.
When we got back to the mainland, I demanded we go directly to the school. “We’ll have more resources there,” I said, and the pilots radioed the school to let them know we were coming.
I couldn’t console Libby and Pete. I was too busy searching, using my powers, trying to find any evidence of a cloaked airship. So, when I turned around after finally giving up, the panic on their faces made me feel guilty.
“I’m sorry, Libby, Pete. I got overwhelmed. I didn’t think.”
“No, son,” Pete said, putting his hand on my shoulder and squeezing. “You don’t have to worry about us. You find our boy. We’ll be okay.”
“We’ll be okay when you find my Lysander,” Libby said.
I nodded. “I’ll find him, Mrs. Phillips, and when I do, God help whoever kidnapped him.”
She nodded, her face as fierce as my resolve.
When we landed, we were met by the same guards who’d once been in charge of me. This time they tried to encourage Libby and Pete to follow them to the Nosupes building. A place outside the school for people who didn’t have abilities to stay when they were there.
When they protested, I turned to the guard, and said, “He’s their son. If they aren’t welcome here, we’ll go somewhere else.”
The man was momentarily taken aback. He’d never heard me challenge him or anyone before, but things were different now. The love of my life, the very essence of my happiness, had been kidnapped. I didn’t have the time or energy to deal with niceties.
“That won’t be necessary,” I heard Dr. Aynesworth say behind us. “They can come into the main facility. There are no students in residence at the moment.”
I nodded and we followed him to his office, instinct telling me not to discuss things in public. Something was off. Something told me we were dealing with more than a simple kidnapping. My senses were also telling me this was all about me. If they were using Lysander as a pawn, he was in real danger, and spies could be anywhere.”
When we got to Dr. Aynesworth’s office, Libby and Pete were invited to sit at the back. Seconds later, Dr. Fagan and Elana walked in with grave expressions.
As soon as we were all seated, Dr. Aynesworth dismissed the guards. “Elana, can you raise the security wall?”
I had no idea what that was, but seconds later, a cloud of smoke circled the walls of the president’s office.
“Okay, that will give us a little more privacy.”
“I’m afraid the situation is more dire than you may realize,” Dr. Aynesworth said. He looked over at Dr. Fagan and Elana and sighed before turning to me. “Kaden, we believe the person behind this is Dr. Grace Bisbee.”
The moment he said her name, the puzzle pieces came together, and I nodded.
“Who is this Dr. Bisbee?” Libby asked.
“She is… was, our dean of students.” I could tell Dr. Aynesworth was searching for the right words when Dr. Fagan stepped into the conversation.
“Have you ever heard of Vega?” he asked.
Of course, we’d all heard of Vega. Even with my limited education and background, the villain of the century’s name had filtered down to my meager world.
Both Libby and Pete nodded. “Dr. Grace is her daughter.”
“Wait, what?” Pete said, jumping up. “You let the world's most notorious villain work here?”
Dr. Aynesworth shook his head. “No, but we did let her daughter work here. We do not judge our applicants by their parents, sir. She was a Supe the same as anyone else and had the same rights to learn and teach here as any other.”
