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She slanted him a look. “Romance comics are real too. Just because nobody flies or gets punched in the face doesn’t mean it’s not a good story.”

He thought about the way he was devouring the book Lucy gave him. The flowery descriptions sometimes made him scoff, but he was so caught up in the mystery and romance of the story that he could barely put it down. “What else do you like to read? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in the library.”

“Oh,” Briar said, nervously smoothing her pants. “I … I’m not very good with books. I love stories—obviously, since I spent a lot of time making things up. I can’t believe I’m telling you this. I’ve never talked to anyone about this besides my family.” 

He stayed silent. Because of Briar’s power, he never wanted to force her to tell him something she would rather keep to herself. 

 “Well, you remember how I told you that I lied to get out of my homework?” He nodded, and Briar continued. “Well, it was mostly because I couldn’t actually do it. Unless Norine helped me—which she wouldn’t always do—I could never make sense of what was one the page. I … well, I can’t read.” 

She said the words defiantly, as if Charlie was going to argue with her. 

“Like, you can’t read well?”

“Like, I can’t read at all.” 

“Are you serious?” Incredulity made his words harsh.

That put her back up. “It’s not like I haven’t tried. No matter what I do, I can’t make the words make sense. It’s like the letters move around, even as I’m looking at them.”

“But … but you graduated high school.”

She snorted. “Luckily for me, Principal Humbert doesn’t think women need good grades to make babies.”

Charlie couldn’t believe what he was hearing. She couldn’t read? He couldn’t imagine a worse fate. Books had been an integral part of his life since he was a boy; he couldn’t remember a time when reading didn’t come naturally to him. Books had been his best companion during his convalescence because they allowed him to live someone else’s life. 

Had Briar’s lies served the same purpose for her? 

He didn’t know what to say, so he said nothing the rest of the way to the mine.

When Charlie got to the spot where the bridge crossed the river he found several cars already parked along the edge of the road, including Will’s baby-blue Chevy. “Well, it looks like the meeting is still on,” he commented. 

“Looks like,” Briar said shortly before she hopped out of the truck and closed the door with a slam. 

Was she steamed at him? 

Charlie went through the laborious process of getting out of the car, then picked his way through the darkness to the edge of the river. Briar was there, standing next to what looked like a living bridge. 

He leaned down to examine the vines supporting the bridge. They burst directly out of the ground, weaving together until it was impossible to tell where one began and the other let off. The bridge was wide enough for one person to cross at a time, clinging to the hand rails on either side. Below, the foam-tipped rapids roared. 

This bridge was clearly safer than the old one. But for him, it wouldn’t be any easier to traverse. The vines were covered with a sparkling dew that was certain to be slippery. He wouldn’t be able to use his cane; shifting his weight from side to side might tip the bridge. If he held on to the handrails, he would have the same problem. And the longer it took him to get across, the more chance there was that the vines would stretch or break. 

 He turned to Briar to tell her it was impossible, but she didn’t let him get the words out. “Strip,” she ordered.

“What?”

“You can transform. I’ll carry your clothes across.”

“Oh. But—”

“How else are you going to do it?” she sneered, folding her arms tightly across her chest. 

Oh yeah, she was steamed. 

“Everyone is already inside. And then you can transform again after we’ve crossed. It’s probably best if you aren’t a mountain lion when you walk into a room full of people with superpowers.” She glared at him for a moment, then raised her eyebrow. “So, strip.”

What did his father do, when he wanted to defuse his mother’s anger? “That’s a really great suggestion. I can’t believe you thought of it.”

Instead of being pleased at the compliment, Briar’s eyes lit with fury. “Gee, thanks, Charlie. I know it’s a surprise to you, but I’m not a total dunce.”

“What? No. That’s not what—”

“Just strip,” she said coldly. “We’re late already.” 

It was oddly intimidating to take off his clothes in front of an angry woman. “Could you, um, turn around?” 

With a huff, she did. 

This part was even more embarrassing. “Do you mind if I lean on you? Just hold onto your shoulder?” 

With a sigh, she moved closer to him and took a solid stance, with her feet wide. She was stiff with anger as she wordlessly took his cane when he held it out to her. He unbuttoned his shirt one-handed as he stepped out of his shoes. 

He forced himself to forget all distractions—the knowledge that there were people nearby, Briar’s anger at him, the heat of her body under his hand—and focused on shifting his body from one form to another. By the time he unfastened his belt and pushed his pants to the ground, he was already transforming. 

God, it felt so good! Even the pain of his bones and muscles reshaping sent a sizzle of pleasure through him. It had been days since he’d had the chance to transform. 

He knew in that instant he would never be able to give this up. He couldn’t keep his power hidden forever. There was no way he could resist this strength, this freedom. 

With his night vision and the sensory input of his ears and whiskers, the bridge seemed less treacherous. Even if it snapped under him, he could trust the powerful muscles of his legs to leap across. 

Still, he wanted to test it before he let Briar take the risk. When she came up behind him, he growled low to keep her back. 

The bridge sank a little under his weight, but other than that, it seemed stable. He got across to the other side, and would have gone back to test it again, but Briar was already hurrying across. 

Seeing her suspended across a chasm with only vines between her and death sent his heart spiking into his throat. But before he knew it, she was across and dumping his clothes on a nearby rock. 

“Get dressed. You can lean on that. I’m going inside.”

“Briar, wait,” he tried to say, but it came out as a yowl. Transforming back so quickly seemed like a waste, but she was right—he couldn’t go in there as a mountain lion. He’d send people into a panic. 

In seconds he was back in his human form, curled on the ground. He was breathless with pain, but he managed to speak. “Don’t go in there alone.”

Her angry march to the entrance of the mine skidded to a stop. “Oh, right. I’m only allowed to be there because you’re with me.”

“That’s not what I’m saying. Would you stop putting words in my mouth?”

“I’m not …,” she winced and laid a hand on her head. “Okay. I guess I am. But I don’t have to be a genius to understand what you’re implying.”

Something about the way she said “genius” tipped him off. “Who says you need to be a genius? I like you just the way you are.”

Apparently that was the wrong choice. She stomped over to where he was sitting on the ground, awkwardly trying to pull on his pants. “I should have known that as soon as I told you I can’t read, you’d treat me like an idiot just like everyone else. There’s more to intelligence than reading, you know.”

“I know,” he said. 

“It’s not as if I haven’t tried. I’ve tried, believe me.”

“I do.”

“Stop trying to placate me!” She shouted, and he decided to stop talking.

Her chin was set in a mulish pout he found unreasonably adorable. He couldn’t help grinning when she thrust out a hand to help him up from the ground. 

“Maybe you should just tell me what I’m supposed to say,” he grunted as she helped him to his feet. “That might be faster.”

Her mouth twitched before she forced the corners back down. “I shouldn’t have told you.”

“Hey, now, that’s a lie, even if you do believe it,” he chided her. “You should tell me everything. At your own pace, at your own time, but I want to know everything about you. Especially your secrets.”

Her eyes widened. “You mean that.”

Watching her face move from suspicion to weary trust had something unraveling inside him, like an old bandage coming off a healed wound. 

“Every word,” he promised her, and reached out for her hand.

There was more light and more voices than he had expected. At least twenty people were lined up against the wall, all hooting and hollering. He recognized Frank Greg, Blanche Sutton, and Matt Harris ranged between lanterns hanging on the wall. In the center of the mine, Cora Briggs and Ruth Baker were circling each other like prize fighters. 

Charlie almost didn’t believe what he was seeing. Between her outstretched hands, Cora held a shimmering column of water. It shifted into various weapons as the crowd laughed—a sword, a crossbow, a gun. Meanwhile, Ruth seemed to be covered in gold. When he looked closer, he realized that her skin was lined with flames. 

“Come on, sweetie, show her what you can do!” yelled a man from the sidelines. It was Clayton Briggs, cheering on his new wife. 

Cora smiled, then sent the water crashing toward Ruth in a wave. Ruth, who had always seemed sad and reserved to Charlie, laughed with delight as she held out a hand. 

The water crashed on either side of her as a wall of steam went gusting back toward Cora. 

Cora put her hands out to her side and gathered the water toward herself. She spun it into a twisting column, then sent the water spout skipping across the room toward Ruth. 

Cora let out a triumphant cry when the spout engulfed Ruth, but then Ruth’s body began to glow. She was burning, even in the midst of a hurricane of water. She tossed her arms into the air, and the water spout exploded, sending droplets of hot water over everyone nearby. 

The crowd broke into cheers. 

“Practice duels,” said a voice behind him. “It was Clayton’s idea. Take the edge off the day, you know?”

Charlie turned to find Will. His old friend looked more tired than ever. “It’s been a long one.”

“Yeah,” Will sighed. “I’m glad you could make it. How did your testing go?”

“Could have been worse. Are you sure this is a good idea?” Charlie asked as Blanche Sutton now took on Matt Harris. She’d just had a baby not two weeks ago, and he was surprised to see her in attendance.

“It’s good practice. And a good way to demonstrate that it’s possible to have control. Some people are still nervous about pushing their boundaries, after the way Betty died,” Will said. He rubbed at his forehead.

“How are things with the family?”

Will shook his head. “Still not on an even keel. I don’t know if my father will ever be the same.”

Charlie looked around. “Is there anyone else here who wasn’t in the newspaper?”

“Just the one you brought with you,” Will said, looking at Briar with a raised eyebrow.

“I have O-negative blood,” Briar said quickly. “I was sick after the festival too. I just wasn’t at the infirmary.”

“Yes,” Will said, glancing at Briar’s and Charlie’s gripped hands. “Clayton told me you talked to him. He said you were able to pick out a small lie in something he said.”

“Yes.”

Will gave her a long look. Behind him, Matt was crashing into a wall of ice Blanche had created, breaking it apart in huge chunks.

“There are a couple of other people who have non-physical powers. Butch Murphy and Danny Egan. Why, do you think, are you all so untrustworthy?”

“Hey,” Charlie said defensively. “She’s nothing like them.”

“It’s okay, Charlie,” Briar said, laying a hand on his arm. “Will, I’ll prove it any way you want. As for my past … I’ve changed. I’m not the only person who’s been changed by their power, am I?”

Will chuckled heavily. “No, you’re not. Well, come on. If you’re going to prove it, you might as well prove it to us all.” 

Charlie looked at Briar anxiously as she followed Will across the room. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I do,” she said calmly. “With a power like mine, I’m never going to have to stop proving it.”

She squeezed his hand and then dropped it, trotting after Will faster than Charlie could keep up.

“Listen up, everyone,” Will said, effortlessly commanding the attention of the room. “We have some new people here tonight. They’re going to show us what they can do.”

“Briar Steele?” drawled Evie Sharpe. Charlie hadn’t noticed her perched lazily against the wall until now. “You do know that she’ll say anything for a little attention?”

“Not this kind of attention,” Briar countered. “In case you haven’t noticed, people with powers aren’t so popular right now.”

The murmurs in the room stilled. “The mayor thanked us for what we did at the rockslide,” said Teddy Dickinson. “That’s got to mean something.”

“But she didn’t stop the army from testing us,” pointed out Matt Harris. He was stacking the chunks of ice he had broken out of Blanche’s wall. 

“The army is just trying to learn more about what happened to us. I don’t know why you all think that’s so suspicious,” said Danny Egan. A couple of people nodded at his words.

“Look, we’ve been having this conversation amongst ourselves all day,” said Will, “and we’re no closer to the answers. We’ll just have to wait and see. And for the record,” he said, straightening his shoulders, “I’m proud to help my country in any way I can. I never expected that it would be anything like this, but I’m certain that if we all stick together we can figure this out.”

“Of course we can,” said Meg. She rose from where she had been sitting with Lucy. “The most important thing is to understand what’s happened to us. I, for one, have full faith that the army has our best interests at heart. It hasn’t been easy on any of us, or our families, but if we understand why this happened we’ll know how to move forward.”

Her smile held a hint of firmness, and Charlie thought again that Meg would make a perfect politician’s wife. Will was certainly looking at her proudly.