Super Series (Book 4): Supervised (4 page)

Nathaniel started going down a list of topics. He looked at home up there, pacing back and forth and punctuating his sentences with hand gestures. The way he hit each one gave me the impression that they talked about some of this stuff every week. I nodded like I knew what the fuck was going on, something I’d been practicing since elementary school. But at least I was able to stare at him without drawing attention myself.

At one point, Nathaniel went over the crime stats for the district and then broke it down by each area of Brooklyn. Even though I didn’t know much about the way my district was run, I knew that crime stats were important. “I’ve been working in this district for a long time and I’ve been the head of this district for the past five years. There will always be crime but they happen in hubs.”

Nathaniel went over to the whiteboard and picked up a marker. He drew a circle with several lines coming out from various angles. He started to write types of petty crime at the ends of the lines. “Muggings. Car theft. Burglaries. Drugs. Vandalism. Assault. All of these types of crimes can be traced back to larger, more organized crimes perpetrated by groups. As more sophisticated criminals operate in hubs together, they increase the level of overall crime.”

Nathaniel wrote “Noches” in the middle of the circle he had drawn on the board. “The Ninth Street Noches are one of the biggest gangs in our district. Some of you should know that name from working out here on the streets. They have a network of chop shops throughout Brooklyn. They’re behind a lot of car thefts, carjackings, and illegal racing. The Noches also use violence and intimidation to keep their hold on streets. Much of the ancillary crime in our district can be traced back to them.”

He pulled out a stack of fliers and started to hand them out. “Everyone needs a copy of this.” When I got my copy, I looked over it. It was a black and white drawing of a young Latino man with short hair and a clean shaven face. Below the picture was a list of his vitals. “Wanted” was in big letters at the top. “This is El Gato, head of the Noches,” Nathaniel went on. “Obviously, El Gato isn’t his real name but it’s all we have. Even without his real name, there’s enough evidence of his participation in various crimes to put him away forever. The cops have been chasing him for years. He’s a ghost.”

Nathaniel paused for effect. Then he erased the Noches from the board. “If we can bring El Gato in, the Noches will be just another unorganized set of street thugs, ripe for picking off one by one. And without the Noches contributing up street crime, the overall numbers in this district will go down.”

There were a lot of murmurs from the group. “Every single one of you should be on high alert for El Gato. But I’m also putting together a special task force of Supers to help me target him. I’m only looking for dedicated people who want to make a difference. Here’s the sign-up sheet.”

He held up a piece of paper and passed to the first person in the first row, who then passed it on to the next person, and so on and so on. As the sign-up paper made its way to the back of the room, Nathaniel went on to other subjects and I tried to pay attention. By the time the sign-up sheet got to me, it had a few names on it. And at the top of the page was my own name, written in large block lettering.

What the fuck?

*****

After the meeting was over, Nathaniel asked me to walk with him along the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. The little walkway was lined with trees and featured views of the Manhattan skyline across the water. It was something you’d do on a date.
But you’re not on a date,
I thought to myself.
Why are you even thinking about that, you idiot?

We walked for a bit in silence, just enjoying the night and the view. I still couldn’t get over how beautiful Nathaniel was. At least 6’4, he moved with a grace that seemed both out of place on his frame but also seemed perfectly reasonable for him. His Super power was flying but his physique said that he was also physically gifted. He was the whole package. Tall. Strong. Beautiful. What had he done in a previous life to get stuck with me?

“Obviously, I put your name on the sign-up sheet,” he began, answering my unasked question. “This is my first time supervising a probation. I saw your file and I just knew you were the case I wanted.” I didn’t know what to say to that. No one had ever said anything like that to me. Usually, I was the last picked or the least wanted. This was whole new territory.

He went on. “Protocol is to just let you do your thing and check in on you frequently. But I like to think outside of the box. What better way to guide you than to work with you on my task force?”

“But I don’t know if I’m ready for something out of the box. That was my first district meeting back there.”

“District meetings aren’t mandatory. That wasn’t even half of the Supers in our district.” Nathaniel stopped and turned to me. He put a meaty hand on my shoulder. The electricity of his touch was evident even through the fabric of my coat. “I’m not going to lie to you, Audrey. Your career has been underwhelming. But I think that I can push you to the next level if you’ll let me. Will you let me?”

Looking into his deep blue eyes, I probably would have let him do anything he wanted. “Yeah, sure,” I breathed.

He patted me on the shoulder and resumed walking. “What do you think your legacy as a Super will be, Audrey?”

Well, that certainly brought me out of my trance. “Ummmmmmmmm,” I drew out. “I kinda never really thought about it.” Nathaniel gave me a serious nod but didn’t say anything. That made me nervous and I started babbling. “I mean. . . I guess. . . I’m more focused on the day to day of the job.” I hoped that made me sound as serious as he looked.

He saw right through my bullshit answer. “Sounds like you don’t know.”

“Yeah. Everything I touch kinda turns to shit,” I admitted.

“At the end of this, you’ll know the answer to that question. Supers do the impossible every day. We keep the world safe. We do what civilians can’t do and wouldn’t want to do if they had the chance. I expect everyone I work with to rise to that challenge. Any questions?”

I spoke without thinking. “Yeah. How come people don’t see you when you’re flying? I mean, you’re right by windows sometimes. And what about people in planes?”

Nathaniel stopped short and looked me up and down as if he were trying to see just how serious I was. Then he burst into a deep laugh and resumed walking again. I couldn’t decide if I was upset that he wasn’t answering the question or if I was excited that I’d made him laugh. Probably a little bit of both.

Chapter 7

“You look like hell.”

Sunday morning came too fast for my tastes. But I dragged myself out of bed and threw on some sweats, a hoodie, a coat, and a pair of dark sunglasses before taking the train into Manhattan to Arbor Animal Clinic on 97th street. I couldn’t say for sure if I looked like hell but I certainly felt like hell. “You don’t look so great yourself.”

Ella was already sitting in the lobby holding a Starbucks coffee and a pink cat carrier that obviously had Din-Din inside. Even though she wearing her best Upper-West-Side-Young Professional-on-a-Sunday outfit, she looked like she had been up all night worrying. “She better not be pregnant, Audrey.”

I reached down to pull Din-Din out of her carrier. She was a small orange and white cat with a few battle scars from living on the street for so long. But she was the most loving cat I’d ever known. I cuddled her while she purred loudly and emphatically. “Oh, calm down. If she’s pregnant, she’ll just have some cute kittens. Kittens are adorable.”

“And where will these kittens live?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ll just find them some good homes or something.”

Ella’s face got so red but her voice got very calm. I knew she was extremely mad. This was something my mom did when she was close to blowing her top. “And how do you expect to do that, Audrey? You promised you’d find a home for Din-Din last year and we’re
still
waiting.”

I was saved from answering by one of the staff, a young woman dressed in scrubs decorated with dolphins. “Din-Din Hart?” Ella took Din-Din from my arms and told me to pick up the cat carrier. Then she followed the staff member into an exam room, while I trailed behind. “Make yourself comfortable. Dr. Ellis will see you in just a minute,” the woman said before closing the door behind her.

I slumped down into one of the chairs along the wall while Ella situated Din-Din on the exam table. Then, I took the opportunity to blurt out what had been on my mind since last night. “Do you know a Super named Nathaniel Kane?”

Ella whipped around to look at me. “Of course I do. Who doesn’t know Nathaniel Kane?”

“You do?” I was kinda surprised but I also felt like I shouldn’t be. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy that got lost in the crowd.

“Well, I don’t
know
him know him. But I know
of
him. He’s running your district. He’s really good looking. He dates a lot and he’s run through half of the eligible Supers in New York City. He’s been highly decorated for his work in Brooklyn. I was on a committee with him once and he came in with a 107-point plan to improve the notification Council notification processes. He’s up for Super of the Year.” Ella ticked off each of the facts with her fingers. “When is the last time you read a Council newsletter, Audrey?”

“Um, how about never? I don’t read those things. But I did just go to my first District meeting,” I added.

“You never come to any of the Council events, either, or you’d see him around. Why are you asking about him anyway?”

I hesitated because I hadn’t told anyone in my family about being on probation. But that was stupid. I’d tried to keep my Super audit a secret from them last year, too, and that was a disaster. They knew about it almost immediately and I spent the whole time lying and hiding for no reason. I was too tired for it this time around. “He’s supervising my probation, actually. Anything I should know about him?”

“Nothing you can’t see just by looking at him. He’s kind of a Golden Boy. How did he got stuck supervising you?” she wondered aloud, almost to herself.

“Hey! I’m not that bad! He’s lucky to have me!” The protest came out automatically but deep down inside I knew she was right because I had thought the same thing just the day before. If he was so great, what had he done to deserve me?

“I’m getting back together with Rodney,” Ella blurted out, changing the subject.

“What?!” It came out louder than I had intended. They probably heard me in the hall but I didn’t care. “I don’t understand. Why?”

“Because I like him. We get along really well.” Ella was petting Din-Din pretty hard now. Almost frantically. “I want to have a relationship, Audrey. I want to get married. I want to have kids someday. Current research tells us that a woman’s fertility takes a nosedive at thirty-five. I mean, here I am, thirty-three years old living alone with a cat that’s not even mine and the cat might be a mother before me.” Ella finally stopped forcibly massaging Din-Din and burst into tears.

Watching someone cry is the most uncomfortable feeling in the world. It’s twice as uncomfortable when that person is your sister who always seems to have it together. This was the first crack in the armor I’d ever seen of hers. I awkwardly went over to Ella and put my hand on her shoulder. I didn’t know what to do or what to say. Fortunately, I was saved from saying anything by the doctor coming in.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Ellis,” he said, looking up from at his clipboard at the cat. “And this must be Din-Din.”

Ella pulled herself together quickly. “Yes, I’m Ella. And this is my sister, Audrey.”

“And what seems to be the problem?”

Ella patted Din-Din on the head. “Hopefully, nothing. But we think she might be pregnant.”

Dr. Ellis started feeling around Din-Din’s middle. “Well, the gestation period for cats is very short—just sixty-six days or so. When did she go into heat?” At our confused looks, he went on. “When was she running around the house making a lot of noise and rubbing herself on anything she could her paws on?”

“She’s always very friendly and vocal. But she got out of my apartment about a month ago so if she’s pregnant, that’s when it happened. Will it take a long time to find out if she is?”

Dr. Ellis handed Din-Din to Ella. “Not at all. She’s definitely pregnant.” At our shocked reactions, he went on. “You can feel the kittens inside her stomach if you know what you’re looking for. I could do an x-ray but it’s just a waste of money. She’s definitely pregnant. It should be just over a month until she gives birth.”

Ella turned to me and stared at me with a mix of anger and disbelief. I just looked back sheepishly. I said the only thing I could think of. “Congratulations.” It was apparently the wrong thing because Ella burst into tears, again.

Chapter 8

“What’s wrong?”

“Is that how you answer the phone?” I said in a faux sweet voice. All of these years, my mother had always critiqued the way I answered the phone. Either, it wasn’t fast enough or I didn’t start with a pleasant enough greeting. Suddenly, our roles were reversed and I liked it.

“Well, Audrey, you never call me unless something is wrong. So just tell me what you need.” Mom’s prim voice drifted through the phone along with random clicking and the sound of metal scraping metal.

“Where are you?”

“Home, editing your father’s closet.” The scraping happened again and this time I recognized it as the sound of a hanger sliding across the closet rod.

“Editing?”

“Yes. Your father would be wearing the same pair of underwear he owned when I met him if I let him. So, every other month I go through his closet and edit out anything he shouldn’t wear anymore.”

“Gross, Mom. I don’t want to hear about Dad’s underwear.”

“Well, you asked,” she huffed. “And before you tell me how terrible I am for doing this, you should see this orange and blue flannel shirt your father has been holding onto for years. It’s faded. There’s a big rip on the sleeve. Why does he insist on looking like a homeless person?”