who stabbed the kid, not Nightmare. She would never hurt him. Hell, she’d tried to save him!
But she bit her tongue. There was no point in trying to argue Nightmare’s innocence. They wouldn’t believe her, and it would only raise suspicion.
“We’ll find her,” said Ruby. “We’ll put an end to this. And Max—he’s going to be fine. He’s a strong kid.”
“I know,” said Adrian. He sounded grateful and like he wanted to believe her. Like he’d been telling himself this same thing all night. But there was still an echo of doubt beneath his words.
Nova exhaled slowly. Adrian had come to her house early that morning, after the dust had settled, to tell her about Max being in the hospital and about Nightmare stealing the helmet. He had seemed so defeated, and yet, at the same time, bolstered by a new desire for revenge. She shuddered to remember his words, spoken even as she held him against her, trying her best to comfort him.
I’m going to find Nightmare, and I’m going to destroy her.
CHAPTER TWO
“I HEAR NIGHTMARE really whupped Frostbite and her crew,” said Oscar as he took in the massive amount of destruction to the lobby.
“More or less,” said Adrian. “Frostbite, Gargoyle, and Aftershock were all neutralized.”
“I hate to say it, but … I mean, that’s sort of a point in Nightmare’s favor, right?”
Ruby smacked Oscar in the shoulder. “She almost killed Max, you dunce!”
“No, I know. But if anyone was going to get neutralized, I can’t say I’m sorry it was Genissa and her minions.”
“It’s okay,” said Adrian. “I’m not too upset about that, either. And like you said, Max is going to be fine.” He paused before adding, quietly, “He has to be.”
“Holy smokes, what is that?” Oscar barked. He lifted his cane, as if prepared to stab something on the shattered tile floor.
A tiny creature was scuttling toward them out of the mess of broken concrete and plaster—a fierce little velociraptor, no larger than Nova’s thumb.
“No way,” muttered Adrian. “Turbo!” He crouched and scooped the creature into his palm.
It screeched and bit him.
“Ow!” Adrian yelped, dropping it. It landed on the floor and darted between Oscar’s legs.
Nova leaped after it, grabbing the creature by the back of its neck. It made a pathetic mewing sound and flicked its clawed arms at her, leaving tiny nicks on her fingers. “How is this thing still alive?” she asked.
It seemed like ages ago that Adrian had drawn the small beast onto Nova’s palm, in an effort to prove that his powers hadn’t been drained by Max when he’d gone into the quarantine to rescue her.
Adrian bent down to inspect the tiny dinosaur as it squirmed in Nova’s fingers. “Alive, but not doing so hot. Look, he’s turning gray. And see how his movements are sort of awkward now, more like a machine’s? That always happens when I draw animals. Still—he’s lasted longer than I would have thought.”
“Excuse me,” said Oscar, eyeing the creature with trepidation. “But what is it?”
“A velociraptor,” said Adrian. “I drew him a while back, and Max has been keeping him as a pet. His name is Turbo. Here.” Stooping down, Adrian took out his marker and drew a palm-size cage on the white tile. With a swipe of his fingers, the cage emerged into reality, a three-dimensional carrier for a very small dinosaur. He held open the door while Nova dropped the creature inside. “I’ll take him to Max at the hospital. He’ll be happy to see him when he wakes up.”
When, Nova couldn’t help but note, and for the first time, Adrian sounded truly optimistic about the possibility of Max coming out of his coma. Perhaps he was seeing Turbo’s survival as a good sign.
“He’s probably hungry,” said Ruby. “I mean, your drawings still need to eat, right?”
“I guess so.” Adrian looked like he’d never given it much thought. “Max used to share snacks with him.”
Ruby nodded. “I’ll run up to the cafeteria and grab him … I don’t know, chicken strips or something. I’ll be right back.”
She was gone before anyone could speak, darting between the Renegades who were milling around the destroyed lobby.
“Uh…,” started Adrian, too late, “I don’t think they’ve reopened the cafeteria yet…”
“She’ll find something,” said Oscar. “They have turkey jerky in the lounge vending machines.” The second the elevator doors closed and Ruby was no longer in sight, Oscar eagerly spun on Nova and Adrian. “Okay, now that she’s gone, I need to talk to you guys. I mean,