Tera
Lynn Childs and Tracy Deebs teen book, Powerless, is now out in paperback! To
celebrate, Sourcebooks Fire has given us an exclusive excerpt from the first
book of The Hero Agenda and a summary of the second book, Relentless!
If I could have any superpower,
right now, I’d choose the ability to reach through glass. One thin, little pane
is all that separates me from bliss…of the midnight-snack variety, to be exact.
The chocolate bar hangs halfway to freedom but refuses to take the plunge, as
if the vending machine is mocking me, taunting me.
As if it knows I’m powerless.
Annoyed, I slam my palms against the
glass. Everything inside shudders. My chocolate bar—pure Swiss milk chocolate
dotted with toasted hazelnuts—doesn’t budge.
“Come on,” I beg as if the candy can
hear me. “Just a little farther.”
No such luck.
Then again, when have I ever been
lucky? I’m just glad no heroes are around to see me lose a battle with a
vending machine. I would be the punch line to every joke for a year.
Thankfully, the lab is pretty much
empty at this time of night. Even Mom went home two hours ago, leaving me to
transcribe the notes from today’s sessions. I prefer to work when no one is
around. My experiments fall into a gray area in the Superhero Code of Conduct,
and even though I’m not technically a superhero—yet—I try not to piss off the
powers-that-be. The last thing I need is to lose my lab privileges before I’ve
perfected my formula.
Copying down Mom’s scribblings is
like deciphering some previously unknown ancient language. It isn’t exactly the
most glamorous summer job ever, but it pays okay and gives me access to the
facility.
I’m almost done with tonight’s
transcription from the digital white board Mom and her team spent all day filling
with chemical equations for her newest power-enhancing formula. Maybe twenty
more minutes, and then I can get back to my test samples.
My stomach rumbles in protest,
reminding me that I skipped dinner. I really want that stupid chocolate bar.
But since I just used my last quarters, my only hope is that one of the
security guards upstairs has change for a ten.
I turn away from the vending machine
alcove and start back around the corner to grab my wallet from the lab.
Right before I make the turn, I hear
hurried footsteps. Not wanting a repeat of last week’s collision with Dr.
Harwood—my favorite jeans still smell like sulfur—I hang back a step.
But the boy who rushes around the
corner looks nothing like the balding, old scientist who works nearly as many
late nights as I do.
No, this guy is tall and lean, but
not too skinny. He’s got major biceps and I can see the outline of some pretty
impressive muscles beneath his shirt. Yum. He’s probably about my age or a
little older, eighteen or nineteen maybe. And everything about him is shrouded
in black—his tee and jeans, his heavy-duty boots, his shoulder-length
hair—everything but his eyes.
If we weren’t in superhero central,
I’d say he looks like a stereotypical villain.
You’d think with all that darkness,
he’d be nothing more than shadow. But he’s all angles: his cheekbones, his jaw,
even the collarbones I can see peeking out from the low neckline of his tee.
Light seems to reflect off him like moon glow at midnight. Surrounded by all
that sculpted darkness, his icy blue irises burn like the hottest flames.
Our gazes collide, and though I know
it’s vain, I instantly wish my hair wasn’t pulled back in a messy braid and
that I was wearing something—anything—more appealing than my dad’s ratty old
1996 Stanley Cup Champions tee.
Hot guys in the underground lab are
few and far between—Who am I kidding? Hot guys in my life are few and far
between—so most of my wardrobe choices involve comfort and whether I mind if
the garment gets ruined by acid, dye, or any of a million other compounds we
work with every day.
If my best friend, Rebel, were here,
she’d be doing an I-told-you-so dance because she’s been wanting to give me a
makeover forever. That, and she’d already have his number and email address,
and they’d be making plans for their date this weekend. Me, I can’t even manage
a simple “hello.”
The fact that he’s scowling at me,
those dark brows slashing low over those bright eyes, isn’t helping anything.
“The lab is supposed to be empty,”
he says.
His voice is flat, but his comment
almost feels like an accusation.
“I’m working late,” I answer, trying
not to sound defensive. “What are you doing here?”
He lifts an eyebrow. “You’re working
in the hall?”
“I needed a break to come get
chocolate,” I say, gesturing at the vending machine behind me.
He nods down at my empty hands. “You
don’t have any chocolate.”
“That thing hates me. Took my money
and kept the candy bar.”
In a graceful movement that looks
almost choreographed, Dark-and-Scowly steps around me and up to the greedy
machine. He presses his palms to the glass, just like I did. Hey, maybe he has
the power to reach through glass. After all, around here pretty much everyone
but me has some kind of super ability.
When his hands don’t immediately
sink through the surface, I say, “I tried smacking it already. Didn’t work.”
Moving his hands closer to the edge,
he curls his fingers around the frame. Then, with his boots braced on the
floor, he gives the whole machine a solid shove. The heavy hunk of metal rocks
back once, then comes forward, its front legs hitting the tile floor with a
sharp thud. On impact, the chocolate bar sails against the glass before falling
into the trough below.
He turns to face me, a cocky smile
twisting one side of his mouth. “Takes a special touch.”
I duck down and reach through the
hinged door to grab the candy bar.
“You’re my hero,” I joke.
He snorts. “Right.”
Mark
your calendars, Powerless in PAPERBACK hits shelves May 3rd!
RELENTLESS
SUMMARY:
Revenge
is easy, but justice is worth fighting for…
Kenna
is tired of being lied to—and hunted by the very allies she once trusted.
Unearthing the dark secrets of the superhero world has not only endangered her
life, now her boyfriend faces execution for crimes he didn’t commit and her
mother is being held captive in a secret governmental prison.
Kenna
is determined to stand up for what’s right and save those she loves from
unspeakable fates. It’s time for the betrayal to end. It’s time for the real
criminals to face justice.
But the truth is even more
terrifying than Kenna could imagine. A conspiracy threatens the fate of heroes,
villains, and all of humanity. If Kenna’s going to survive, she must draw on
her deepest strength: her resilience. Because when Kenna’s pushed to the limit,
she doesn’t break down. She fights back.
Mark your calendars, Relentless hits
shelves June 7th!
